End Game
by superdory57
Summary: The final battle is here. The heroes are missing, and Chloe, Oliver, Batman and Robin are the only ones left. Who will help them when the biggest attack is yet to come? IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! The rangers are back and this time they are bringing some help in the form of some old friends. Will they be able to stop the world wide attack or will one of them fall in the attempt.
1. Missing Heroes

_It's here End Game the final in our Misadventures of Lois Lane series! We really hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it. :) The time line is AU from the Smallville world and changes the story line a bit, but it works out so nicely. Please let us know what you think R&R!_

_Disclaimer: We do not own Smallville or the Power Rangers and considering all the crazy situations we put them in probably saves their lives. D_

End Game

"Come on, Oliver" Chloe muttered, glancing outside at the setting sun. "Pick up the phone. Please pick up the phone."

_"Hello?" _Oliver said.

"Thank goodness," Chloe said. "Please tell me you're back in Metropolis."

_"Sorry, Chloe," _he said. _"We're still a few hours out. What's going on?"_

"Well, I have a bit of a crisis downtown," she said. "I was hoping you could go intervene…"

_"Is everyone else already on assignment?" _Oliver asked.

"Not exactly," Chloe answered. "They just won't answer their phones…"

_"I'll be there as soon as I can," _Oliver said. _"But I'm not the Blur. I can't just jump off the airplane and come running to the rescue."_

"I know…" Chloe sighed. "But please get here as soon as you can. I have one last option to try before I do anything drastic."

_"I'll see you when I get there," _said Oliver. _"Please don't do something you shouldn't."_

Hanging up the phone, Chloe sighed again and leaned back in her chair. She'd been trying to get a hold of someone for the past ten minutes since explosions started going off downtown, but Oliver was the first person to have answered the phone. He had been a long shot, but worth a try.

"They're all going to be in so much trouble," Chloe muttered, staring at her cell phone.

It had been a long week. Starting the day after the space rangers left it had just been one issue after another. And it didn't help that Clark had left on vacation with Lois and Oliver had left the country on business. Fortunately, both were scheduled to be back sometime that night.

"I guess I'll try Clark one more time," she said. "Maybe he'll answer this time. It isn't like him to have his phone off, especially when he's away from Metropolis. I haven't heard from him all week."

Chloe dialed Clark's number, but it just went straight to voicemail again.

"Aaah! I expect this from Bart and AC," she grumbled, "but not Clark. He's too paranoid not to contact me for a week. Something is going on."

Chloe turned on the computer and started scanning again, trying to locate the absent team.

"Courtney has school," Chloe muttered. "So she's excused for the moment. But the rest of them are not. A whole team of heroes and the only one who will answer the phone is somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean."

The scanner came back with nothing. All of the phones were still off.

"This is really starting to worry me," Chloe said, rubbing a hand across her eyes. "Bart and AC always forget to check in with me. But the others rarely forget and I haven't talked to anyone in at least two days."

Pulling up a list, Chloe doubled checked to make sure she wasn't forgetting anyone.

"Ok," she said. "Let's see. Bart probably got distracted on another continent after his mission at the beginning of the week. Not surprising, but he's still in trouble. AC didn't check in after taking care of that sinking boat the next day. Again, he does his own thing most of the time, which means he's probably somewhere in the ocean ignoring me again."

Chloe scrolled down the list, continuing to talk to herself.

"Dinah went to check into that break in at Star Labs four days ago and I never heard anything about it. Although it doesn't seem as though anything was taken. Courtney's been in school, so she hasn't been out in a while. Carter was on a dig in Egypt again last I heard."

Studying the list, Chloe scrolled down to the last two.

"Let's see," she said. "John left yesterday to check out that meteor that crashed in the desert. He still hasn't checked in, and that concerns me. And Victor went out last night to deal with a computer virus that originated somewhere in the warehouse district."

Groaning, Chloe turned away from her computer screen.

"I guess I don't have a choice," she muttered. "He is not going to be happy with me."

Chloe picked up her headset and turned on the communication link.

"Watchtower to Batman," she said. "Batman, please respond."

Waiting for a response, Chloe leaned back in her chair again, hoping he would answer.

_"What?" _the response finally came.

"Umm… Well… I know I said we wouldn't bother you—"

_"You have thirty seconds," _Batman snapped.

"Ok, I need help," Chloe said, speaking quickly. "There are explosions going off downtown and I don't have anyone to send except myself. The only one answering their phone or communicator is Green Arrow and he's currently in an airplane on his way back. I can't get Boyscout to answer and he never turns his phone off. Plus, I can't even locate Cyborg and he's connected to my network."

Chloe paused to take a breath and Batman interrupted before she could continue.

_"I'll be there in half an hour," _he growled.

"Thank you so much," Chloe said, relieved.

Batman didn't answer. Taking off the headset, Chloe turned back to the computer to try and track down the missing heroes.


	2. Rescuing Robin

_Two in one day? I know wow right! Sense the last chapter was so short i figured i would give you guys a little more to get started with. :) Hope you enjoy the next part of End Game, let us know what you think R&R! _

_Disclaimer: We don't own Smallville, Batman, or Power Rangers we just like to borrow them.._

Chloe sighed. She wasn't having any luck tracking down anyone. All of their phones were off, so she couldn't locate those. Plus, none of them seemed to have taken their communicators with them after their missions.

"When I get a hold of them," she muttered.

A loud crash startled her and Chloe jumped to her feet. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with an extremely angry Batman.

"Where is he?" Batman snarled, stalking toward her.

Chloe backed up, hands out.

"Where is who?" she stammered in confusion. "I can't find anyone right now."

"Where's Robin?" Batman demanded, backing Chloe into a wall.

"Isn't he with you?" Chloe asked, glancing to the side as she looked for a way to escape.

Growling, Batman grabbed the front of Chloe's shirt. He lifted her up and slammed her against the wall. Chloe grunted in pain at the impact.

"You have thirty seconds to tell me where he is," Batman snarled, his grip tightening on Chloe's shirt.

"Batman," she said, struggling. "I swear, I have no idea—"

"Let her go!" Oliver yelled, coming up the stairs.

He had just arrived, coming straight from the airport. When Batman didn't moved, Oliver dropped his briefcase and launched himself forward at full speed. He collided with Batman, tackling the other hero to the ground. Chloe collapsed to the ground when Batman let go. Pulling herself up against the wall, she watched the fight in complete shock.

Oliver and Batman weren't holding any punches. On a good day, they were fairly evenly matched. But Batman was angry, and that was giving him a boost. Oliver took the beating though and kept going, determined to keep Batman away from Chloe. Batman delivered a hard kick straight to Oliver's chest, sending him flying into a wall. Oliver crumpled to the ground and struggled to get back up. Chloe snapped out of her shock.

"What are you doing?" she cried, looking at Batman.

"Where is he?" he growled, heading toward Chloe again.

But before he reached her, Batman's communicator crackled to life.

_"Batman? I found a communicator!" _Robin's voice called out over the radio.

Forgetting about Chloe and Oliver for the moment, Batman whipped around and headed out of Watchtower.

"Location," they heard him snap before he disappeared.

Neither Chloe nor Oliver moved for a moment, still not sure what had happened. Oliver finally broke the silence.

"What is wrong with him?" he asked, trying to pull himself up. "Is he trying to kill us?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "He appeared out of nowhere. I didn't have any warning."

She was shaking as she moved over to help Oliver up. He was bleeding in multiple places as he hadn't been wearing protective gear of any kind. Wincing, he limped to a chair with Chloe's help, one arm around her shoulders and the other tucked against his rib cage.

"That's going to hurt for a while," he groaned as he sat down. "I think he broke a few ribs with that last kick."

"Do you want some ice?" Chloe asked.

"Sit down, Chloe," Oliver said, tugging on her hand. "I'll be fine. Now what did Batman want?"

Chloe sat down in a chair next to Oliver. She started checking him with shaking hands as she spoke.

"I'm not really sure," she answered. "All I got was something about Robin. Batman just kept demanding I tell him where Robin was."

"How are we supposed to know?" Oliver asked, wincing again as Chloe probed a particularly sore spot. "We're supposed to be staying away from them. Speaking of, why is he in Metropolis anyways?"

"Well, I didn't have anyone else to send," Chloe said. "No one else was answering. I guess I could have gone and checked on the explosions myself."

"No," Oliver said, bolting upright. "Ouch."

He moaned and leaned back again.

"Don't you bad guys ever stop talking?" Robin grumbled. "I got the point. You have a plan. You like your plan. That doesn't mean I want to listen to your plan."

Lex paused, turning to look at Robin, who was tied up and sitting in the corner of the room

"Seriously," Robin continued. "How long do you really need to go on about it? I got the point of it like fifteen minutes ago."

"Listen here, you little urchin," Lex snapped. "You've got until Batman gets here to be on my good side. If you can't manage that, then it's bye-bye bird boy."

"When Batman gets here," Robin said with a grin, "you're gonna wish you never left home."

Lex slammed a fist down on his desk.

"You little—"

There was a knock on the door, so Lex stopped talking to Robin and straightened up. The door opened and one of Lex's cronies stepped inside.

"Mr. Luthor," he said. "There's a—problem—with your most recent—acquisition."

"Stand guard," Lex said, striding to the door. "Don't let anyone else in."

The guard nodded and both men exited. Robin listened for a moment, making sure no one was coming back in. He could hear the guard shuffling for a moment, and then the hallway was quiet. Robin hopped to his feet and slid out of the ropes.

"Ok," he muttered quietly. "First things first. That computer should let me contact Batman."

Moving over to the desk, Robin opened the laptop up and started typing. Fingers flying, it only took him a minute or two to crack the password and hack the computer. Pulling out his own handheld computer, Robin hooked it up to the laptop.

"Signal, signal," Robin muttered. "There! Batman! I found a communicator!"

There was a pause and he perched on the chair, balancing on the balls of his feet.

_"Location!" _Batman snapped.

"I'm in one of Lex Luthor's facilities," Robin said, reading off coordinates. "He's waiting for you to get here. Something about there only being two left. I stopped paying attention. But there's a lot of cool stuff on his computer—"

_"Fifteen minutes," _said Batman.

"Got it!" said Robin.

He stayed at the desk for a few more minutes, searching through the files. Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, Robin quickly locked the computer back up and slipped back into his bindings in the corner. Just in time, because Lex came storming back into the room.

"What is taking Batman so long?" he fumed. "Doesn't he care that I have you?"

"Well," Robin quipped. "If you hadn't broken my communicator, which had a tracking device in it, then he would have been here a long time ago. Although I'm still not sure why you're so eager to have your butt handed to you. Batman's gonna be ticked when he gets here."

"When he gets here," Lex said. "I'll be waiting. He'll be walking right into a trap."

"You really didn't talk to anyone in Gotham, did you?" Robin said. "Batman mad is a bad thing. Batman ticked is a nuclear explosion landing in a volcano."

"I don't care how mad you think he's going to be," Lex snapped. "I have twenty men positioned and ready to storm the roof the instant Batman arrives. And there won't be any slipping away through the door. It's bullet proof and solid steel. So the instant I lead you through that door, it's all over."

"What time is it?" Robin asked.

"11:47," Lex said automatically, a little confused.

"Uh-oh," Robin said. "Batman's gonna be mad. I'm late."

"Late?" Lex said.

Robin didn't answer. Instead, he slipped back out of his bindings and, before Lex could react, he was out the door. The man outside the door just stared in shock as Robin bolted down the hallway toward the stairs.

"Don't just stand there!" Lex screamed. "Catch him!"

Lex raced down the hallway after the small boy, his bodyguard right behind him. They chased Robin up the stairs. When they reached the roof, Lex's men were already at attention and ready to move, having seen Robin darting by. Lex burst out onto the rooftop with his bodyguard. But before the rest of the men could come through the door, it slammed shut. Lex whipped around the see Robin standing behind him, grinning.

"Where are your twenty men with guns?" Robin asked. "They won't do you any good on the other side of the door."

"You little brat!" Lex snarled, leaping forward to catch Robin.

Robin darted out of the way. Lex ignored him for a moment, starting to enter his passcode to get the door opened again. Then a small, bat-shaped projectile flew past him and embedded itself in the keypad, shorting it out. There was a grunting sound and Lex spun around to see Batman throwing his bodyguard across the roof, never taking his eyes off of Lex.

"I told you he'd be ticked," Robin said next to Lex.

Lex took his eyes off of Batman and lunged for Robin. Suddenly there was a hand around his throat and Lex was slammed into the door. He grunted in surprise.

"Never let me see your face again," Batman snarled, slamming Lex against the door again.

"You'll regret thi—"

Batman punched Lex, landing a hard hit directly to his jaw, and let him go. Lex slumped against the door, stunned. Batman and Robin disappeared into the night.


	3. What are we going to do?

"Oliver," Chloe said, exasperated. "Sit down. We don't even know if he's coming back. You need to relax."

Oliver was pacing near Chloe. He was still in his dress pants and shirt, but now he had his bow in hand. It was loaded and ready to fire.

"He's supposed to be our ally, Chloe," Oliver said, ignoring the order to sit. "Why would he attack you?"

Chloe stood up and moved in Oliver's way, forcing him to stop.

"I don't know," she said. "But this isn't helping. And we can't hide in Watchtower forever anyways."

For a moment, Oliver started to relax a little. Then Batman dropped back into the room. Oliver immediately whipped around, shoving Chloe behind him and aiming the bow straight at Batman. Unfazed, Batman just looked at him for a moment and then turned and walked over to the computer. The bow remained aimed at him the entire time.

"What are you doing back here?" Oliver snapped. "How dare you come back after trying to kill Chloe."

"Oliver," Chloe said, peering around him. "I don't think he's trying to hurt me anymore."

Oliver didn't move, he just kept glaring at Batman.

"I thought you'd like to look at this," Batman said, holding up a disk before inserting it into the computer.

Chloe started to step around Oliver, but he pushed her back again.

"Hi guys!" Robin said, dropping in.

"Oliver," Chloe said. "It's fine. Put the bow away."

"Yeah," Robin said. "It wouldn't do you any good anyways. He's wearing too much Kevlar for that arrow to pierce. I don't think it would even annoy him."

"Oliver," Chloe said gently. "I'll be fine. Put the bow down and let's see what he brought."

Batman was pulling up files on the computer. Still glaring at Batman, Oliver lowered his bow but he didn't put it away.

"But you guys should see all of the stuff I pulled off of Lex's computer!" Robin said excitedly. "He's up to something really bad."

"Lex?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Robin said. "He's the one that nabbed me. And he's going to have a huge headache when he wakes up. I wonder how long it'll take them to fish him off the roof—"

"Robin," Batman snapped.

Robin stopped talking and darted over to Batman's side. Chloe followed him with Oliver right on her heels, his bow still in his hand.

"What did Robin find?" Chloe asked, glancing nervously at Batman as she stepped up next to him.

"This," Batman said, hitting a button.

A file opened, documents popping up all over the screen.

"How did he get those profiles?" Chloe exclaimed as profiles on each of the heroes popped up. "Although those aren't complete… And that's the brain-drain machine. What's going on?"

"What is Lex doing with all of that?" Oliver said.

"Watching you," Batman said, looking at Oliver. "He's been looking for your weaknesses."

"Oh no," Chloe said, taking over the computer and pulling up more files. "No. No. No. This is not good. How did I not see this before? We are in so much trouble."

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, stepping closer.

"That's why I haven't been able to find anyone," Chloe muttered. "He's been taking them. Oh no! I need to call Lois!"

Whipping around, Chloe almost tripped over Oliver.

"Would you put that thing down and stop hovering?" she snapped. "Batman is not here to kill me and we have a bigger problem on hand."

Oliver stared at Chloe in shock, and then set his bow down on the table before taking a step back.

"Sorry, Chloe," he said.

Chloe took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Oliver," she said. "I know you just want to protect me. But we've got a problem that I might not be able to solve. I have to call Lois."

"What are you calling me for?" Lois asked.

Chloe spun around and looked downstairs. Lois had just come out of the elevator.

"Where's Clark?" Chloe asked. "Please tell me he's with you."

"That's what I came here to ask," Lois said. "I want to know why he won't answer his phone. Did you or Jor-el send Clark off on some insane mission again without telling me?"

Chloe paled, gripping the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Lois," she said. "I need you to go back to the farm. Now. Check and see if you can find any signs of where Clark went."

"Wait, you don't know where he is?" Lois said. "How did you lose him?"

Chloe shook her head.

"I don't know," she answered. "I just took it for granted that he had joined you in Reefside. I assumed that the two of you were busy and that's why he wasn't checking in."

"What's going on, Chloe?" Lois asked. "What happened to Clark?"

"I don't know anything for sure yet, Lo," Chloe said. "Just please go check the farm. I need to know for sure."

"I'll go check," Lois said. "I'll check at the Planet first and then head to the farm. But you'd better be ready to explain when I get back."

"I will. I promise," Chloe said. "Just keep your cell phone with you and be careful."

Lois got back into the elevator. When the doors closed, Chloe turned back to the computer.

"Chloe, what is going on?" Oliver demanded. "What's wrong?"

"It's Lex," she said. "He had the brain-drain machine for too long and was able to make a working prototype."

"So?" Oliver said. "What does that have to do with Clark?"

"It isn't just Clark," Chloe answered. "It's all of them. All of us. Lex is using the brain-drain machine to erase the heroes' memories, and then he's replacing them with what he wants them to believe."

"What?" Oliver exclaimed. "But if he has Clark…"

"Exactly," Chloe said. "I'm sure he has Victor and Dinah. And he probably has AC and Bart, too. And possibly Courtney. I'm hoping that Carter is actually still out of the country and safe. You're here and so is Batman, so that leaves Clark unaccounted for."

"Luthor has him," Batman growled. "He was there when Robin was taken."

Chloe groaned.

"What does that mean?" Oliver said.

"It means," Batman snapped, "that your greatest enemy is now in control of some of the strongest people on this planet."

"It's his end game," Chloe said softly. "His ultimate plan. With the JLA at his command, he can do anything. And there aren't enough of us left to stop them."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Umm… You guys might want to see this," Robin said, breaking the silence.

Chloe and Oliver hurried over to look at the screen Robin was watching. It was live news feed from downtown Metropolis, only a few blocks away. Clark was striding down the middle of the lamp-lit street, throwing cars out of the way and blowing them up.

"Lois!" Chloe exclaimed. "She was heading to the Daily Planet. That'll put her right in his path! And she has no idea what's going on."

"I'm on my way," Oliver said grimly, running over to his briefcase and pulling out his Green Arrow costume.

Taking the costume and his bow, he ran for the elevator and headed out to help in whatever way he could.

"Chloe, what is going on?" Lois demanded the instant the elevator opened. "I need to know. Now!"

Chloe ran to the railing and looked downstairs.

"Where's Oliver?" she asked, not seeing him right away. "Where is he?"

"I'm right here, Chloe," Oliver said, limping slowly out of the elevator.

Chloe let out a gasp and hurried down the stairs to help him. Oliver was a wreck.

"What happened?" she asked. "Did you find Clark?"

"Oh, I found Clark," Oliver said, wincing in pain. "And he made me wish I was fighting with Batman again. Chloe, there was no recognition. He threw me around like a ragdoll. I think the only reason he didn't kill me is because I pulled out a Kryptonite arrow."

Lois stormed over to where they were standing.

"What is going on, Chloe?" she asked again. "Something is wrong with Clark. I saw it. What happened to him?"

Chloe sighed, shaking her head.

"Come on," she said after a moment. "I'll show you what I have."

Lois and Chloe helped Oliver up the stairs. Letting Oliver sit, Chloe stepped over to her computer and brought up some of the files. Batman was at another computer, still looking through some of the other information Robin had obtained. Robin was curled up in a chair, seemingly asleep.

"We haven't gone through everything yet," Chloe said, glancing at Batman, "but we've got a pretty good idea of what Lex has been up to."

Chloe pulled up a series of records.

"He was the one emptying the stores of Kryptonite," she said. "He relocated all of it to one location. The facility where we found the brain-drain machine. We didn't worry about the Kryptonite then, because we were more concerned about him having the machine."

Next she pulled up some pictures.

"Unfortunately, he had the machine for too long. He was able to fabricate a working replica. To what extent it works, I'm not sure. What I do know is he used it on Clark and the others."

"To what end?" Oliver asked. "Why is he brain-washing them? Clark doesn't surprise me, but why the others? And why does he want us?"

"So no one can stop him," Batman said without turning around.

"He's right," Chloe said. "If Lex controls the whole JLA, there is no force on earth that could stop him."

"So what does he want then?" Lois asked. "Does he really think he can take over the whole world by threatening them with the JLA?"

Chloe shook her head, turning to face Lois.

"No," she said. "He's not stupid. Even if he tried that, he wouldn't succeed. Someone would stand up to him and he'd never have full control."

"Then what's the point?" Oliver said. "Lex isn't going to be satisfied with Metropolis."

Chloe turned back around and pulled up a series of diagrams and blueprints.

"This is," she said. "It's Lex's new defense system. He's going to market it as the only way to stop the rogue heroes, and it's going to work."

"Because he's controlling them," Oliver said.

"Exactly," said Chloe. "So once a nation purchases the defense system, the heroes stop attacking them. What they don't know is that Lex will have complete control over the system via his satellite. That means if they don't do what he says, his so called defense system won't defend them anymore. The entire world will be at his beck and call."

The room was silent except for the clicking of keys as Batman continued to work on the computer. Lois started pacing around the room and Oliver just stared at the computer.

"So what now?" he asked. "What can we do to stop it?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "But maybe if we can stop Clark long enough for him to listen—"

"I tried that, Chloe," Oliver interrupted. "It didn't work. There's no possible way a human can stand up to him long enough to break through. And everyone else is already gone."

Looking at the computer screen again, Oliver shook his head.

"That's why he saved us for last," he said bitterly. "Because we're human. Sure, we can stand up to Clark and the other rogues, but eventually we'll fall. We don't have their abilities, just the things we can create ourselves."

"Wait, Oliver," Chloe said. "That's it. Human. He needs to be human."

"What?" Lois said. "Are you talking about Clark? Because he definitely isn't human the last time I checked."

"But he can be," Chloe said excitedly, typing furiously on her keyboard. "Blue kryptonite will make him human."

"Right!" Oliver exclaimed, starting to stand up.

He winced as his legs gave out on him and sat back down in the chair. Chloe glanced at him in concern, but he waved it off.

"Unfortunately," Chloe said. "I don't have record of any. And I don't keep it around here because I don't usually want it to affect Clark."

"You may want to rethink that in the future," Batman said.

Chloe sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"I know," she said. "I'm not prepared for this. And even if we get the blue Kryptonite, how are we going to stop the others? Because there is no guarantee we can break Clark out of it."

"Let's take it one step at a time, Chloe," Oliver said, glaring at Batman. "I'll go out and search for the blue Kryptonite. It's rare, but there has to be some out there. How long before Lex puts his final plan in motion?"

"Three days," Chloe said. "We have three days to either stop him, or prepare for the worst. And there's no way you can go hunting for it in the shape you're in, Oliver. You wouldn't find it in time."

"Chloe," said Oliver, "we don't have a choice. You need to be here to monitor everything. That leaves me. We don't have anyone else to ask."

"No," Chloe said. "You'll stay here. I need you to stay here. We'll have to find another way to get the blue Kryptonite."

"I'll go," Batman snapped, interrupting Chloe.

"I really don't think that's a good idea," Oliver started to say.

Batman glared at him and Oliver stopped talking. Leaving the computer, Batman left what he had been working on up on the screen. As Batman started to leave the room, Robin hopped up from his chair to follow.

"Robin," Batman said. "Stay here."

Robin looked at Batman in surprise, but immediately returned to the chair. Batman disappeared.

"Now what?" Oliver said. "Do we just wait?"

"No," Chloe said, staring at the screen of the computer Batman had been at. "We call for help. Look at what Batman pulled up."

Oliver walked over to take a look. When he saw what was on the screen, he glanced at Chloe in surprise.

"Do you think they'd come?" he asked.

"I thought Lex already had everyone," Lois said. "Aren't we on our own now?"

"We aren't," Chloe said, shaking her head and sitting down at her computer. "We still have one more option. And yes, Oliver. I think they'll come. Or at least send help."


	4. The Call

Tommy jogged up to the backdoor of his house. Taking a moment to stretch, he unlocked the door and headed inside. He started heading for his bedroom, then paused. There were voices coming from the living room. Familiar voices.

"Great," he muttered. "One day. They're home one day and already invading my house."

Sighing, Tommy headed down the hallway.

"Just make yourselves at home," he said, walking into the living room. "And I see you're already eating my food."

Conner froze, half a granola bar in his mouth.

"Sorry, Dr. O," he mumbled. "I was hungry… And I don't have a cupboard here anymore…"

"Just be glad he didn't eat your dinner," Ethan said. "Apparently Hayley was expecting us, because there was a threatening note for Conner on the fridge."

Tommy shook his head and sighed.

"Well," he said. "I just got back from a run. Does anyone want to join me in a sparring match?"

The kids exchanged looks.

"Umm… I haven't sparred with anyone since we lost our powers," Kira said.

"Then this week is the perfect time for you guys to get back in shape," Tommy said, leaning against the wall. "I've still got all of the training equipment set up in the woods. It'll be just like old times."

"We were thinking more along the lines of hanging out and watching movies or something like that," Ethan said. "Not killing ourselves trying to keep up with you."

"You invade my house and eat my food," Tommy said, "and all you want to do is watch movies. I think this unexpected visit has gotten me at least one sparring partner."

"They kidnapped me," Trent said, pointing at Ethan and Conner.

"I was with him," Kira added. "And I didn't eat anything."

"Neither did we," Trent and Ethan said.

Everyone turned to look at Conner.

"Darn it," he grumbled. "I knew I should have brought something with me."

The other three started laughing.

"So where's Hayley?" Kira asked. "All we've seen of her is the note she left Conner."

"Either down in the lab or at the café," Tommy said.

"So is it done being rebuilt?" Ethan asked.

"It's all finished," Tommy said.

"We gotta see it," Conner said, hopping up.

"Not a good idea right now," Tommy said. "We've been working on a project. Not sure if Hayley's down there right now, but it wouldn't be a good idea to interrupt."

Conner sat back down.

"Speaking of barging in," Tommy said. "Hayley's car isn't here, which means if she is here she used the back way. How did you four get in?"

"You left the door unlocked," Ethan said quickly.

"No," Tommy said. "I distinctly remember not even unlocking the front door this morning. I went out through the backdoor, which I locked."

"You really should have taken Ethan's spare keys away if you really wanted to keep us out, Dr. O," Conner said with a grin.

"I thought I did," he said.

"Copies," Ethan said, holding them up.

"I'm changing the locks," Tommy muttered.

Shaking his head, Tommy turned and headed down the hallway.

"Where are you going, Dr. O?" Kira asked.

"To shower and change," he said.

Before he made it out of the living room though, Hayley appeared from the hallway.

"We have a problem," Hayley said.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"I just received a red alert," she answered.

"From who?" Tommy said, frowning.

"Watchtower," Hayley said.

Tommy immediately headed toward the lab followed by Hayley and the teens.

* * *

"Any news yet?" Oliver asked, joining Chloe at the computer.

While Chloe was sending out the red alert, Oliver had left the room to get cleaned and bandaged up. Oliver was still sore after his encounters with Batman and Clark, but he was up and moving now. He hadn't bothered putting a shirt back on over the bandages and Chloe could see some bruises starting to form. Robin was curled up in a chair again, actually sleeping. Chloe had sent Lois back to Smallville to check on the farm and to keep her from pacing around Watchtower, muttering to herself about what an idiot Clark was for getting captured.

"No," Chloe said, shaking her head and staring absently at the computer. "But it hasn't been that long. And it's still morning. They might not have been down to the lab yet."

Oliver paced away from the computer, but came back when the video call started ringing. Chloe jumped and reached to answer the call.

_"Chloe?" _Hayley said. _"We got the alert. What's going on?"_

Chloe let out a sigh of relief. Hayley and Tommy were sitting at the computer. In the background, Chloe could see the teens in the background talking.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now," Chloe said. "We have a small crisis on our hands."

"There's nothing small about the crisis, Chloe," Oliver interrupted, stepping into view of the camera.

Tommy and Hayley stared in shock. Oliver's entire torso was wrapped in bandages to stabilize bruised and broken ribs. More bandages covered several deep cuts on his arms and the bruises were very visible against the white.

_"What happened?" _Hayley exclaimed. _"Oliver, you look like something ran you over!"_

"Close enough," Oliver muttered. "I feel like I got hit by a freight train. But what would you expect after Clark threw me around like a ragdoll?"

_"What's going on?" _Tommy asked.

"Lex has created a working prototype of the brain-drain machine," Chloe said. "And he's using it on members of the JLA."

Hayley gasped, glancing over at Tommy. He took a deep breath.

_ "Who does he have?"_ he asked.

"Well," Chloe said slowly. "We're pretty sure he has Bart, AC, John Jones, Victor, and Dinah. We aren't sure about Courtney or Carter, but I haven't established contact with either of them. And Clark… Well…"

Chloe took a deep breath.

"He's got Clark, too. As far as I know, Oliver and I, and Batman, are the only ones left."

Tommy took a deep breath. Letting it out, he stood up and started pacing. The teens had fallen silent in the background. They were watching and listening now, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Clark almost killed Oliver and Lois last night," Chloe said, glancing at Oliver. "When we first figured out what was going on, we weren't sure how well his machine worked. But it has to work at least as well as the original."

"I tried talking to him," Oliver said. "But he didn't recognize me. He just kept talking about Lex and how he was going to make everything better. I probably would be dead if something else hadn't caught Clark's attention."

Tommy rubbed a hand over his face and then through his hair.

_"I'll be there as soon as I can,"_ he said finally. _"And I'll pull together as many rangers as I can to help. We need to stop Lex in Metropolis."_

Chloe let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said. "I know you don't have your powers anymore, but maybe you can help us break them out of it."

_"Don't worry, Chloe,"_ Hayley said. _"We'll be there soon."_

Chloe nodded and the line went dead. Oliver put a hand on her shoulder.

"You need to get some sleep," he said. "Go get cleaned up. I'm going to run to the store to restock the fridge and when I get back you're going to lay down for a while."

"I'm fine—" Chloe started to say.

"No," Oliver said. "You've been up for over 24 hours. You need to get some rest so you can help us with planning. I won't be gone long."

"Alright," Chloe said. "But only a few hours. There's too much to get done. We don't have the time."

Shaking his head, Oliver grabbed his street clothes. He had stashed a bag in Watchtower in case of emergencies. After he changed, Oliver double checked the contents of the fridge and cupboard before heading out to the store. Chloe just stared at the computer, going through file after file trying to piece together Lex's strategy. 

* * *

"Let's get going," Tommy said to Hayley. "We need to send out alerts to the other rangers to let them know what's going on. Tell those who want to help how to contact us at Watchtower."

"Already sent," Hayley said. "I even sent transmissions off planet to Billy and the rangers on other planets. I doubt they'll come unless it's dire, but at least they'll know."

"We're coming, too, Dr. O," Conner said.

Tommy and Hayley turned to see the other three standing behind Conner, nodding in agreement.

"They're our friends, too," Kira said.

"I don't know—" Tommy started to say.

"They are adults now, Tommy," Hayley interrupted. "You can't make them stay here."

"Ok," Tommy said, putting up his hands. "Go get ready. We'll be leaving within the hour, so hurry up and meet us back here."

All four teens immediately ran for the stairs.

"But first," he said, making them pause and turn around. "Take these."

Hayley had pulled a small box out and opened it. She pulled several items out of it and the teens stared in surprise.

"Our morphers?" said Conner. "What are you doing with those?"

"We've been working on a program," Hayley answered, holding them out to the teens. "It temporarily restores your ranger powers and abilities. Maybe someday I can make it permanent, but right now they'll have enough power to last a few battles."

"We were keeping them for emergencies," Tommy said, taking his. "But I think this qualifies."

"That's great," Kira said. "Is it just ours?"

"No," Hayley said. "We've been working on all of them. But it will be up to those rangers to decide if they want to use them. Now hurry up, we need to leave as soon as possible."

"Got it, Hayley," Conner said as they hurried up the stairs.


	5. Coming up with a plan

_So time for the next part of End Game. This story is a bit longer then the others there will be 30 chapters in total so i will post them more frequently especially if there is a short chapter. So don't worry it will be regularly updated! :) I hope you are enjoying and let us know what you think of the story things will be heating up here soon but we have a couple of chapters that are planning and just for fun so hang in there! R&R_

_Disclaimer: We do not own Smallville Batman or The Power Rangers any of them but i will slip them on my Christmas list!_

Oliver yawned, staring blankly at the computer screen. Chloe had finally gone to lay down a few hours ago after he had agreed to keep an eye on things. Nothing had happened though and things were quiet in Metropolis.

"Wanna play a game?" Robin asked, perching on the chair next to Oliver. "A game will wake you up."

Robin had woken up shortly after Chloe had gone to bed. He had been quiet for a little while, talking to Batman on his communicator. Then Oliver had made him breakfast which kept him still for a little longer, but now Robin was up and moving. Oliver groaned and turned to look at him.

"Where did you get those clothes?" Oliver asked in surprise.

No longer in his costume, Robin was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. He wore sunglasses in place of his usual mask.

"Batman dropped off some stuff for me," he said. "He just left."

"What?" Oliver said, looking around. "But—how?"

Robin shrugged.

"Never mind," Oliver said, leaning back in his chair groaning slightly.

"You know," Robin said suddenly. "You should wear armor when you go out. It would really cut back on your injuries."

"What?" Oliver said, yawning again.

"Your costume," said Robin. "I mean, leather is sturdy, but it doesn't protect you like Kevlar would. You really should consider upgrading."

"Why did Batman leave you here again?" Oliver asked, glaring at Robin.

"To keep an eye on you," Robin answered with a grin. "Someone is at the door."

"What?" Oliver exclaimed, whipping back around to the computer.

He enlarged the video of the front door. Hayley, Tommy, and the teens were standing there, looking at the camera expectantly. Fumbling for a moment, Oliver found the speaker button.

"We didn't expect you here so soon," he said. "Give me a minute. Chloe just changed all of the passcodes in case one of the others remembered. I have them here somewhere…"

Muttering to himself, Oliver started searching for the new codes to open the doors. When he couldn't find them, he decided to try a few attempts on the computer. Instead, Oliver hit the wrong key and set off an alarm.

"No, no, no, no, no," Oliver groaned, trying to silence the alarm blaring through Watchtower. "Please be quiet."

Robin was laughing at him. Glancing up, Oliver realized that Tommy and the others had disappeared off the screen.

"Where did they go?" he said, still trying to turn off the alarm.

Still laughing, Robin reached around Oliver and hit a few keys, silencing the alarm.

"Thanks," Oliver said shortly.

Chloe walked back into the room. She was dressed her pajamas and rubbing her eyes.

"What's going on?" she said, yawning. "Since no one came to get me, I'm assuming we're not under attack. So why is the alarm going off?"

"Oh," Oliver said. "Well, Hayley, Tommy, and the kids just arrived. I was trying to open the door and hit a wrong button."

"You should have seen the look on his face," Robin said with a grin.

Oliver glared at Robin again.

"So where are they?" Chloe asked, taking the computer back from Oliver. "I don't see them at the door."

"They disappeared…" Oliver said. "One minute they were there, and then they were gone."

"Oliver," Chloe said. "They have to be somewhere. People don't just disappear into thin air."

The elevator doors opened and Oliver and Chloe spun around in surprise.

"Hey guys," Hayley said as she and the others walked in. "I figured it would be faster if I just let us in. Oliver seemed to be having some trouble."

"Hi," Chloe said, glancing down at herself. "Umm… Make yourselves comfortable. I'll be back shortly."

Chloe hurried back out of the room to change out of her pajamas. Oliver smirked and shook his head, then headed down the stairs.

"Sorry about that, guys," he said. "I could've sworn she gave me the updated codes, but I have no idea where they went."

"Not a problem," Tommy said. "Any news on Clark and the others?"

"No," said Oliver, shaking his head. "We haven't seen any signs of them since last night. Chloe was up until about two hours ago trying to pin down Lex's strategy and timeline. I'm not sure what she found, but I'm sure she'll share once she comes back."

"So where do you want our stuff?" Ethan asked, hefting a backpack on his shoulder.

"Just drop it in a corner somewhere for now," Oliver said. "Just make sure no one will trip on it. We'll worry about sleeping arrangements later."

The teens all grabbed the bags and lugged them off to the side while Oliver led Hayley and Tommy up the stairs. Hayley went immediately to the computer while Tommy leaned against the table to watch.

"She really does have this running so much better," Hayley said. "Have the security systems been working?"

Oliver shrugged.

"I don't mess with the computers much," he said. "But no one has been able to hack them since that last upgrade you gave Chloe. And the only one who has been able to break into Watchtower is Batman. We can't keep him out… Although I guess you got in too."

Hayley glanced up at Oliver.

"I did," Hayley said before turning back to the computer. "But I like a challenge."

"Oh boy," said Tommy, shaking his head.

"You guys are in trouble now," Conner said as the teens joined them at the computers. "Hayley's gonna leave you a surprise one of these days."

Oliver groaned.

"Just don't leave anymore 'surprises' in my office, please," he said. "I would like to keep my cover intact."

"Your cover's the least of our worries right now, Oliver," Chloe said, coming back in the room. "Right now we need to focus on damage control for the rogue heroes. And it's not going to be easy."

She was dressed now and looked more awake then she had before.

"I'm glad you guys got here so quickly," she said, joining Hayley at the computer. "Because that gives us more time to prepare for the inevitable."

"How did you get here so fast?" Oliver asked before Chloe could continue. "We called you this morning. We figured we wouldn't see you until tomorrow earliest."

"Our cycles," said Conner. "We piled our stuff on Trent's ATV and Hayley rode with Dr. O on his."

"I thought those were destroyed when you lost your abilities," Chloe said.

"I rebuilt them," said Tommy.

"They're parked on the top level of the parking garage just down the street," Ethan added.

"Since we thought parking them outside of Watchtower would draw too much attention," Kira said.

Chloe smiled and sat down at the computer as Hayley moved out of the way. She started pulling up files. Hayley leaned over to watch and Tommy moved closer too. Oliver sat down behind Chloe, watching the teens as they wandered, looking around at Watchtower in awe.

"I'll bet this place is a lot more secure than Dr. O's lab was before he rebuilt it," Conner said. "It would be tough to stumble in here."

"Well, Oliver did say they can't keep Batman out," Ethan said. "So it can't be that secure."

"Nah," Conner said. "Batman has to know some secret. There's no way a normal person could just wander in here like we got in Dr. O's lab."

"There's no secret," Robin said, dropping out of the rafters and landing in the middle of the group. "You just have to know what you're looking for. Batman showed me. There's at least six ways in and out of here."

"Aaahhh!" yelled Conner in surprise.

Oliver jumped, jerking backward in his chair. Kira, Trent, Ethan, and Conner leapt backward in surprise, landing in defensive positions. Chloe, Hayley, and Tommy just kept watching the computer.

"Robin!" Oliver exclaimed, standing up and moving to join the teens. "Stop doing that!"

"You know him?" Conner asked, straightening up out of his defensive stance.

"I wish I didn't," Oliver grumbled. "But yes. He's Batman's kid."

"I'm his partner," Robin said, glaring at Oliver. "And you know you love me, Robin Hood."

"Stop calling me that," Oliver growled through gritted teeth.

"Whatever you say, Peter Pan," Robin responded with a grin.

"Peter Pan?" Conner exclaimed as he and the other teens burst out laughing. "That's great!"

"Yeah," said Robin. "That's what Batman calls him."

Conner started laughing harder.

"You realize he's going to keep calling you Peter Pan now, right?" Kira asked Oliver.

"You just wait til I get my hands on you," Oliver snapped, ignoring Kira and moving to grab Robin.

But Robin just darted out of the way, flipping across the room. Oliver chased after him, yelling for him to come back.

"Where did he come from?" Trent asked. "I don't remember seeing him when we came in."

"That's right," said Conner. "It was just Chloe and Oliver."

"He was in the rafters," Tommy said without looking up from the computer.

"How did you know?" Robin said, landing on the railing and looking at Tommy.

Oliver was still on the other side of the room.

"First place you look," Tommy said, turning around to smile at Robin.

"Batman's gonna like you," said Robin. "Whoops! Bye!"

Oliver had coming running over, reaching for Robin. But he just jumped back up into the rafters.

"Oliver!" Chloe said. "Leave Robin alone. We need to work on our plan. You can play with him later."

Grumbling, Oliver sat back down and pulled his chair up next to Chloe.

"Can you act your age for once?" she muttered as he sat down.

"Sorry, Chloe," he said, shooting a glare at Robin while she wasn't looking.

Robin just grinned. Swinging through the rafters, he jumped back down to land next to the teens and started talking animatedly again. They moved across Watchtower, leaving Hayley, Chloe, Tommy, and Oliver to start making plans.

"Anyways," Chloe said. "We have two more days to prepare. As much as I would like to stop this from happening at all, we don't have the time or resources for it."

"So what do we have?" Tommy asked.

"We have this," Chloe said, clicking on a file to enlarge it. "This is a map of Lex's strategy and timeline. Or at least as close as I could make it with the information I had. Robin retrieved some before Batman rescued him and I also had a little bit from the computer Andros brought me last week."

"How many different places does he intend to hit?" asked Hayley.

"He's spreading them out," Chloe said. "I don't know how long he intends to keep them at their original destinations, but as it stands he intends to hit at least eight major cities around the globe."

"Eight?" said Hayley. "Does that mean he does have Carter and Courtney?"

"Yes," Chloe said, sighing. "I hacked Courtney's school files last night. She hasn't been there for several days and her parents have filed a missing persons report. Again. And the person overseeing the dig in Egypt said Carter went out to do some solo research day before yesterday and didn't return. They think he got lost in the desert."

"But you think Lex has him," Tommy said. "I think you're right."

"Now where do we go from here?" Oliver asked. "I can probably handle Dinah on my own. And if we can trip Bart up or stop him from moving, he's an easy catch. Courtney won't be hard to catch either. She's too inexperienced still."

Chloe nodded.

"And I think you and the teens can handle Cyborg together, Tommy," she continued for Oliver. "You'll just have to be careful without your abilities. Batman should be able to handle Carter if he gets back in time. But the others…"

Chloe shook her head and rubbed a hand across her face.

"Well, John Jones is going to be extremely difficult," she said. "Not to mention AC. And then, of course, there's Clark…"

"And we can't hit them all at the same time," Oliver said grimly. "People are going to get hurt and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Tommy and Hayley exchanged glances.

"You're right," Tommy said. "We can't hit them all at the same time with who we have here. Spreading us out that thin would be a bad choice. But I think it will be better if the team and I stay here to handle Clark. We know him best. The others—"

"No," Chloe said, shaking her head. "No one is going near Clark until we have the blue Kryptonite. I know you guys are tough, Tommy, but I you would barely be able to withstand Clark with your abilities. Without them, he'd kill you for sure."

"About that," Tommy said. "We actually have our ranger powers again."

"What?" Oliver exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked Chloe in surprise, looking at Hayley and Tommy. "When did that happen?"

"Well, we actually gave them back today," Tommy answered. "But Hayley and I have been working on a way to restore a ranger's powers for years. We finally succeeded a few months ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chloe asked.

"No kidding," added Oliver. "She might have actually listened to me and gone to bed earlier if she had known that."

"They probably didn't think about it," Ethan said.

The four teens joined them at the computers. Robin was in the chair again, his handheld computer in hand.

"Hayley always knows everything," Kira added. "So we usually just assumed everyone is in the loop."

"So how did you manage it?" Chloe asked. "I thought the gems were destroyed."

"No, but the power in them died. Restoring that was the hardest part," Hayley said. "But we finally figured out a way to make it work. There is a biological connection between the rangers and the gems, so once we restored the gems the rest was easy."

"Unfortunately," Tommy said, "the restoration is only temporary. The gems should last for a few battles, but not much longer. We're hoping to find a permanent solution someday."

"Even a temporary one is great news right now," Chloe said. "We might actually stand a chance of stopping most of the rogue heroes with your help. It'll still take a little while, but we could do it."

Chloe started typing on her computer, trying to lay out a plan.

"We should probably start with the easiest to catch, which will be Courtney," she said. "We'll have to find a way to keep her staff away from her. Which reminds me, I'll have to come up with holding cells for everyone we catch until we can break Lex's hold on them…"

"Chloe," Tommy said, trying to get her attention.

"Conner won't be able to straight out catch Bart, but maybe he can distract him and lead him into a trap…" Chloe continued muttering, fingers flying on the keyboard. "Oliver can still go after Dinah and maybe Kira can help. Dinah won't be expecting to fight against an ability like her own. And then the other four can go after Cyborg—"

"Chloe," Tommy said again, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She jerked and whipped around in surprise.

"Oh, sorry Tommy," she said. "What is it?"

"We didn't stop with the Dino gems," Tommy said.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked slowly.

"We've managed to restore the powers of most of the rangers who came before," Hayley said. "From the original team to this one, with a few exceptions."

Chloe didn't say anything. She glanced over at Oliver in shock, then back to Hayley and Tommy. Oliver was just as speechless.

"Lightspeed Rescue and the Space Rangers still have their abilities," Tommy said, "so we didn't need to worry about them and they've already agreed to help. And things were going to be tricky with Time Force and SPD since they're from the future, so we didn't bother with theirs."

"Wait," Ethan said. "SPD?"

"Who are they?" asked Kira.

"The rangers who came through the wormhole," Tommy answered.

"What wormhole?" said Trent.

"They fought with us," Tommy said. "Remember? The Shadow Ranger, the Omega Ranger? They were all there."

The teens looked at each other in confusion. Chloe and Oliver exchanged looks and shook their heads.

"Umm… I think you need to get your head checked Dr. O," Conner said. "Cause we have no idea what you're talking about. Is this another one of those fighting with yourself in your head while you're unconscious things? Except with other rangers?"

"No, it isn't," Tommy said glaring at Conner. "We were all there. I was stuck morphed at the time."

"We remember you being stuck morphed," Kira said, "but not another team of rangers. The only rangers I remember teaming up with were Ninja Storm."

"Tommy," Hayley interrupted, "I think someone messed with their memories."

"Then how do I still remember?" he said. "Because I am not crazy."

"You were stuck morphed," she said. "So if their memories were erased while they were unmorphed, then you probably weren't there."

"Wow," Ethan said. "Big hole in their plan then."

Tommy took a deep breath, running a hand over his head.

"Ok, moving on," he said. "So we didn't restore any of their powers, not that we would have to. And teams like Lost Galaxy and the Aqua Rangers are a little far away to help in time. But the powers and abilities from six other teams are ready to be restored if they want them."

"So how many rangers does that give us?" Chloe asked, still a little shocked.

"Well," Tommy said. "There's usually six rangers on a team, but some of the members switched which adds more…"

"A lot," Hayley said. "If you really want exact numbers, I can get you a list. But we haven't heard back from everyone yet. Plus, as Tommy said some, like Billy, are a little far away to be of immediate aid."

Chloe took a deep breath.

"Ok," she said. "So let's start with this. Tell me who I have, and I'll start planning."

Tommy and Hayley exchanged looks, then leaned in and started helping Chloe with a line-up of the rangers.

"I'm going to go get something for lunch," Oliver said. "Anyone want to come with me?"

Tommy, Hayley, and Chloe didn't move from the computer. But the four teens exchanged looks and hopped up to follow Oliver.

"We're coming," Conner said. "What about you, Robin?"

"Batman said to stay here," Robin answered. "Plus, I've got to keep him updated on what we're doing."

"Come on," Oliver said.

He and the teens headed to the elevator. Chloe glanced up as they left, but turned back to the computer. When they got back, it was like no one had moved. Oliver set the pizza down on the table for people to grab as they were hungry.

* * *

"It is getting late," Chloe said several hours later. "I'm going to go make sure I've got places for everyone to sleep."

"I'll just double check and make sure we didn't miss anyone on the list," Hayley said.

Chloe disappeared from the main area. Downstairs, Oliver and the teens had started up a card game. A few minutes after Chloe left, the phone started ringing. Hayley looked at it for a moment, and then picked it up.


	6. What is going on?

"Those two are going to be in so much trouble when I get a hold of them," Tess muttered, standing at the door of her office. "I understand needing a vacation once in a while, but I expect them to be back when they say they will. And Clark's stunt last night."

Letting out a sigh, Tess turned. Walking back to her desk, she sat down and picked up her phone.

"If they won't answer their cell phones," she said, "then I'm going over their heads. Chloe should know where they are."

Tess dialed and waited while the phone rang. Finally it picked up.

_"Hello?" _someone finally answered.

"Where are they?" Tess said without pausing. "Clark and Lois were supposed to be back here last night. I need them. And what was Clark thinking last night? It's hard enough keeping the press from crucifying the heroes without him being a moron and—you're not Chloe. Who are you and why are you answering this number?"

_"I'm Hayley," _came the response. _"And you must be Tess. Clark and Lois aren't here. I think Lois is at the farm right now and Clark is currently being brainwashed and controlled by Lex Luthor. But Chloe's here. Just a minute, I'll go get her."_

Tess sat in shocked silence for a moment. Finally Chloe picked up the phone.

_"Tess?" _she said. _"I am so sorry. With everything that's going on I completely forgot to call you."_

"What is going on?" Tess demanded. "My two top reporters are missing from work and one of them went on a rampage through downtown for no apparent reason."

_"Well, Lex used a machine to steal Clark's memories and then he replaced them with ideas of his own so he could control Clark," _Chloe said. _"And he's not the only one—"_

"You know what," Tess said, interrupting. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Hanging up the phone, Tess took a deep breath and stood up from her desk. Grabbing her purse, she headed out the door, ignoring anyone who tried to stop her.

* * *

"Alright, what is going on?" Tess demanded, striding into Watchtower.

Tess stopped, looking around in surprise. Oliver was sitting at the table with a group of teens, playing cards and eating pizza. Chloe wasn't visible, but that meant she was probably upstairs. The group at the table were screaming and laughing, but they froze when Tess walked in. One of the boys was draped halfway across the table, trying to take a spoon away from one of the others.

"Well," Oliver answered, looking up from the game. "We're eating pizza and playing spoons. Conner is losing, which is why he's trying to cheat and steal Ethan's spoon. Chloe is upstairs with Tommy and Hayley going through the files Robin stole. Oh. And most of the JLA has been brainwashed by Lex and they're planning on taking over the world."

Ethan glared at Conner, snatching his spoon away as Conner sunk back into his chair. Tess took a deep breath.

"How on earth did Lex Luthor manage to brainwash the entire JLA?" she asked. "And without anyone noticing?"

"Not everyone," Oliver corrected. "I'm still here and so is Chloe. Oh. Batman is ok too."

"Oliver," Tess said. "If you don't tell me what happened I'm going to—"

"Tess," Chloe said, leaning over the railing. "I was beginning to wonder where you were. Come one up and I'll fill you in."

Tess glared at Oliver for a moment, and then hurried up the stairs to join Chloe.

"Ok," she said. "Now what is going on? And who are all of these people?"

"Well," Chloe said, glancing over at Tommy and Hayley. "They're—Umm… Well—"

"We're the Power Rangers," Tommy said, interrupting Chloe's stammering. "Chloe called us for help once she realized what was going on."

Tess stared at Tommy for a moment in shock.

"What? Wait. I'll come back to that one later," she said, shaking her head. "Now what happened to the rest of the team?"

Chloe sighed, sitting down at the computer again. Tess stayed where she was.

"Long story short," Chloe said. "Lex kidnapped them. We're still not clear on how. But he's using the recreation of something called the brain-drain machine to steal their memories and replace them with new ones. In doing so, he's put himself in a position to control them. And he's using that to his advantage."

"So let me get this straight," Tess said. "Every member of the JLA not currently present is following the orders of Lex Luthor?"

"Yes," Chloe said. "But we're already working on a plan to counteract him. That's where Tommy and the others come in. Because, let's face it, Oliver can't take down the entire league by himself."

"Ok," Tess said, taking a deep breath. "I've got a lot of work to do."

She turned around and headed back for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"Back to the Daily Planet," Tess answered. "If our heroes are going to go on a rampage, we need to be ready for the media outbreak. I'm going to start working on a special edition highlighting all of the good they've done for us, and announcing them as heroes in crisis. Because if people don't believe that they're in trouble, then we're all going to be in trouble before this is over."

"Thanks, Tess," Chloe said.

"Just send Lois when she gets back," Tess said. "I'll need her help. She's got the most experience covering the league's exploits."

"I'll send her as soon as I can," Chloe said.

Downstairs, Tess paused at the table.

"Oliver," she said. "How is it that it takes me years to gain access to Watchtower, yet you let them in at the first emergency you can't handle alone?"

"He didn't let us in," Ethan said. "Hayley did."

"What?" said Tess, confused.

"Yeah, she got tired of waiting for Oliver to figure out how to unlock the door," Conner added. "So she just hacked the system and opened it for us."

"Hayley's really good at things like that," Kira said.

"And she's a power ranger?" Tess asked.

The kids looked at each other and started laughing. Oliver just groaned and shook his head.

"Hayley's not a power ranger," Ethan snorted. "She's our tech."

"She would be scary as a power ranger," said Conner. "More scary than she already is."

"I heard that, Conner!" Hayley yelled from upstairs.

Conner flinched.

"Sorry, Hayley!" he called back.

"So you four are power rangers?" Tess said.

"Technically," Trent said.

"But we don't have our powers anymore," said Kira.

"Then how are you supposed to help?" Tess asked. "Any one of the JLA team would wipe you out."

"Oh don't worry," Conner said, smirking. "We've got it all figured out."

"Well, Dr. O and Hayley do," Ethan said. "They're the ones who restored our morphers."

"What?" Tess said. "Never mind. I'm getting out of here. Oliver, make sure someone keeps me updated this time so I can be on top of things."

"Don't worry, Tess," Oliver said. "We'll keep you updated."

She glared at Oliver for a moment, then turned and headed out.

"Who was that?" Conner asked as they returned to the game again.

"Latessa Mercer-Luthor," Hayley said, joining them at the table.

"What?" Ethan exclaimed. "She's a Luthor?"

"Lex's half-sister," Hayley said.

"And you let her in here?" asked Conner, looking at Oliver.

"Yeah, don't worry. We've already been through all of that," Oliver said, shaking his head. "Believe me, I have no say in it anymore."

"Anyways," Hayley said. "She's going to help us with the media. And we're going to need all the help we can get, because people tend to make assumptions before they have all of the facts."

Oliver sighed.

"These next few days are never going to end," he said.


	7. Reinforcements and Assignments

"So how's the planning going?" Oliver asked, joining Chloe at the computer.

It was the next morning and Chloe was already hard at work on the computer. The teens were still nowhere to be seen, but Tommy and Hayley were downstairs eating breakfast with Robin. He was talking almost nonstop between bites of food. Tommy and Hayley just nodded, smiling as they listened to him talk up a storm.

"A lot better now that we have the rangers help," Chloe said. "We heard back from almost everyone last night and Tommy called Jason. He's supposed to be here this morning at some point. Lightspeed Rescue is already in the area. They're going to stay on their sub for the moment though. And we spoke to Andros and the other Space Rangers too. I'm currently working with both teams on creating containment for any of the rogue heroes we can't break out of the affects of the brain-drain machine."

"Any news from Batman?" said Oliver.

"No," Chloe said. "Robin is always checking in with him, but he hasn't said anything about the blue Kryptonite. It's probably going to be another day or two."

"So what do we do about Clark then?" Oliver asked. "He's going to cause the most damage. We have to stop him somehow."

"I know," Chloe sighed. "Tess is making sure to run some interference in the papers this morning for Clark's attack two nights ago, but I don't know how much good it's going to do in the long run."

Oliver sat down next to Chloe and pulled her into a hug. She leaned her head on his shoulder and for a moment they just sat together.

"We may not have a choice, you know," Oliver finally said. "We may have to take Clark down the hard way."

"I know," Chloe said. "But that has to be our last resort. And Lois can't know. If she finds out we're even considering it a possibility, she'll find a way to stop us."

They were silent again. Then the buzzer went off, letting them know that someone was requesting entrance to Watchtower. Chloe turned to the computer and brought up the screen. It was Jason and a few others.

"Come in," she said, unlocking the door. "Just take the elevator to the top floor."

She and Oliver headed down the stairs.

"Jason's here, Tommy," she said.

"Good," he said as the elevator door opened.

Jason stepped out of the elevator followed by three others.

"Trini," Tommy said. "Zach, Kat. I wasn't expecting you."

"Jason called us," Zach said. "Well, he didn't call Trini, but she wasn't letting him come without her."

Trini smiled. Tommy moved to greet his friends while Hayley stayed back. She was staring at the blonde standing next to Zach. Chloe and Oliver walked over to Jason.

"Hey," Jason said. "Nice to meet you in person. This is my wife, Trini. Original yellow ranger."

"It's nice to meet you," Trini said. "And it's nice to see you and Hayley again, Tommy. It's been a while."

Tommy gave Trini a hug and paused to say hi to Zach while Chloe and Oliver continued to talk with Jason. Then he gave the other girl a hug, before turning around. He brought her over to Hayley.

"Hayley," he said. "I know you've met Zach before, but this is Kat."

"Oh my gosh!" Kat exclaimed. "You're Tommy's fiancé, right?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked over at the three. Tommy was looking at Kat in complete shock.

"Umm… No," Hayley said. "Not yet anyways."

"What?" Kat said, turning to Tommy and smacking him on the shoulder. "Why not? Haven't you been dating for—how many years was it again, Jason?"

"They've been together since college," Jason said.

"Wait a minute," said Tommy, putting his hands up. "We've only been dating for three years now."

"But you've known each other a lot longer," Kat said. "So it's been long enough. Why haven't you proposed yet?"

"That's right," Hayley said, smiling at Tommy. "Why haven't you?"

Tommy groaned.

"Can we have this discussion later?" he asked. "When we're not about to be attacked by brainwashed superheroes?"

"Whatever you say, dear," Hayley said, smirking.

She turned around to Kat.

"I think we're going to get along just fine," Hayley said.

"He's such an idiot," Kat muttered.

"Oh, don't worry," Hayley said. "I know."

They moved over to sit down at the table and kept talking. Tommy stood glaring at Jason.

"I'm going to kill you," he said. "Why did you tell Kat that we were engaged?"

Jason shrugged.

"I didn't actually tell her you were engaged, bro," he said. "I was just telling her about the two of you and she assumed the rest. But just think of this as payback for when you talked to Trini."

Jason grinned when Tommy just grumbled.

"Why don't we go upstairs to the computer," Chloe suggested. "We can get started right away. That way everyone will be up to speed."

"Can't yet," Jason said. "We gotta wait for the others to get up here."

"Others?" said Oliver. "How many of you are there?"

"Only eleven," Jason said. "Just Zordon's rangers."

"Wait," Tommy said. "Everyone?"

"No, sorry," Jason said. "Just ten of us."

"Yeah," Trini added. "Billy couldn't come."

"Oh no," Tommy said, glancing over at Hayley.

"What's the problem?" Jason asked him, frowning. "I thought you'd be glad to see us."

"I am," Tommy said. "But if everyone is here, that means Kim is here…"

He jerked his head back at Hayley, who wasn't paying attention.

"I don't see—Oh," Jason said, realizing the problem. "Uh oh."

Trini came to the same conclusion just as the elevator dinged and the door opened. Before either one could intercept Kim, she made a beeline straight for Tommy.

"Hi handsome!" she said, throwing her arms around him. "It's been so long. I'm so happy to see you!"

Tommy half-heartedly hugged her back, glancing over at Hayley. She had heard Kim's greeting and was now glaring in their direction. She excused herself from Kat and started in Tommy and Kim's direction.

"Umm… Kim!" Trini said, grabbing her arm. "Come meet Chloe and Oliver!"

Trini pulled Kim away from Tommy as Hayley came stalking up. They joined the group around Chloe and Oliver. Jason was introducing them to Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Aisha.

"What is she doing here?" she growled, glaring after Kim.

"Now Hayley," Tommy said, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "She's here to help. So please try and play nice."

"No promises," Hayley said, leaning against Tommy and putting her arm around his waist.

The elevator door opened again and Lois stormed in. Without looking around, she marched straight up to Chloe. Everyone just stared as she started ranting.

"Ok," she said. "I checked the farm. Guess what? No one is there. Except Shelby, who ripped open the bag of dog food and scattered it all over the house because no one has been there in over a week. And you want to know what else I found? Clark's cell phone and a bag. They were just sitting on the porch this whole time, alone. I'm not leaving here again until something happens. I am not going to sit on the sidelines this time, Chloe. Not when Clark is in danger. Lex is going to pay for this one way or another."

"Umm… Lois," Chloe started to say when Lois paused to take a breath.

"No," Lois interrupted, continuing on her rant. "I am staying in Watchtower and I am going to help whether you like it or not. I can't just sit around and wait to hear that someone else has rescued Clark and the others while I sit like a bump on a log in an empty farmhouse. Now. Have you seen my cell phone?"

"The last time I saw it your phone was sitting on the table," Chloe said. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Lois snapped, storming over to the table to look for her phone.

"Is this it?" Jason asked, holding out a phone to her.

"What?" said Lois. "Oh. Yes. Thank you."

She paused for a moment, staring at Jason in surprise.

"Who are you? Chloe," she said, turning around. "Who is he? And who are they?"

Lois had just realized there was a roomful of people she didn't know.

"And why are they in Watchtower?" she continued.

"I'm Jason," Jason said behind her.

Lois spun around to look at him again.

"Hi," she said, looking at him suspiciously.

Tommy and Hayley walked around everyone else and stopped next to Jason.

"Hey Lois," Hayley said, smiling.

"Tommy, Hayley!" Lois exclaimed.

She looked at them for a moment, then at the group of people and then back at Hayley and Tommy.

"I'm assuming they're with you, then?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Tommy. "These are all of the originals."

Lois took a deep breath.

"Ok," she said. "I'm guessing this story is going to take a little while. I need coffee."

Turning around, Lois started walking toward the elevator.

"Where are you going, Lois?" Chloe asked.

"I'm going to get coffee," she said. "I'll be back."

"Ok," Chloe said, shaking her head as the elevator doors closed behind Lois.

"Wow," said Jason. "She's—well, she's something. Ah!"

Trini had elbowed him in the side. Tommy started laughing quietly. Hayley hit him upside the head and he winced.

"Sorry, everyone," Chloe said. "That's Lois."

"Right," Jason said. "Tommy said something about her. She's Clark's girlfriend, right?"

"Yep," said Oliver. "That's her."

"Wow," Rocky said with a grin. "I'll bet she's fun to keep up with."

Jason, Tommy, Zach, and Adam all started laughing. Trini smacked Jason in the shoulder at the same time Aisha hit Rocky. Tanya elbowed Adam and Hayley hit Tommy again. Zach just started laughing harder when all four of them winced and grumbled at their significant others. Trini turned to glare at Zach.

"Hey," he said, still laughing. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not attached to anyone. I don't have to answer to any of you."

"Oh really?" said Trini, stalking toward him.

"Wait a minute," Zach said, backing up. "Now, Trini. Don't do anything you'll regret. Trini? Trini!"

Zach took off running across Watchtower, Trini close on his heels. Everyone started laughing. As the group started to disperse, looking around Watchtower, Kira, Trent, Conner, and Ethan came walking in.

"Ok," said Conner, walking into the room. "What did Robin do to Oliver this time? Oh."

The teens looked around in surprise for a moment. They were all still in their pajamas. Kira turned around and headed back out of the room.

"I'm going to get out of my pajamas," she said, disappearing.

Conner, Trent, and Ethan looked down at themselves. Shrugging, they joined Tommy, Hayley, and Jason. Trini came back, dragging Zach by the ear.

"Ow, ow, ow. Trini," he said, stumbling behind her. "Come on, Trini. Ow."

"So what was that about not answering to anyone?" Trini asked, her free hand on her hip.

"Sorry, Trini," Zach muttered.

She let go and he just stood there, rubbing his ear. Kira walked back into the room. She immediately joined the rest of the Dino Thunder team.

"Alright," Chloe said after a few minutes, getting everyone's attention. "I think we need to start getting down to business."

Everyone started gathering by Chloe and Oliver again. The elevator door opened again and Lois stepped out. She joined the group, hovering at the back. As Chloe was talking, Robin dropped down out of the rafters into the middle of the group.

"Chloe!" he exclaimed. "Batman has a lead on the blue Kryptonite. He doesn't have it yet, but he should soon."

Then he turned around.

"Hi!" he said to the rest of the group.

All of the rangers, except the Dino Thunder team and Hayley, were staring at Robin in surprise. Rocky had jumped backward when Robin jumped down and stumbled into Lois. She had spilled her coffee all over herself and Rocky.

"I am so sorry," he said, apologizing and helping Lois to her feet.

"Rocky!" Aisha exclaimed before turning to Lois. "Girl, I am so sorry about that. My husband can be a real idiot sometimes. But he'll go get you a new coffee."

"It wasn't my fault!" Rocky protested. "It was the kid. Wait. Who are you?"

He turned to look at Robin, who was still standing by Chloe.

"I'm Robin," Robin answered.

"It was Robin's fault," Rocky said, turning back to Aisha. "Wait. Who?"

"I'm Batman's partner," Robin said.

"Got it. Batman's par—Who's Batman?" Rocky exclaimed.

The rest of the rangers were looking at Rocky and shaking their heads. Tommy put a hand to his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Forget about Batman," Aisha said, putting her hands on her hips. "You go get Lois a new coffee."

"Alright," Rocky grumbled, heading for the elevator, pausing before he got there. "But how am I supposed to get back in?"

"Use the doorbell," Aisha said, glaring at him.

"Adam," Tanya said. "Go make sure he doesn't get lost."

Adam nodded and jogged after Rocky.

"Hey man, I'll go with you," he said.

Both men got in the elevator and the doors shut.

"Should we wait for them to get back?" Chloe asked.

"No," Tommy said. "Let's get started."

"Yeah," Tanya said. "We can fill them in on what they miss later."

They all followed Chloe and Oliver toward the stairs.

"Besides," Aisha added. "Rocky only ever half pays attention anyways."

The rangers laughed, agreeing with Aisha.

"Alright," Chloe said, turning away from her computer. "I think we're all on the same page now."

* * *

Chloe had just finished going over everything they knew about Lex's plan and what had happened with the heroes. She was sitting in front of the computer, Oliver on one side and Tommy and Hayley on the other. Lois was sitting over by the window, holding her cup of coffee and listening. Robin had curled up in his chair again and everyone else had pulled up chairs and were sitting in a semi-circle around Chloe. Rocky and Adam had rejoined them partway through, but they had caught on quickly with Aisha and Tanya adding in details as the conversation continued.

"So where do we go from here?" Jason asked. "We know what Lex's plan is, but what is ours?"

Chloe glanced at Tommy, but he shook his head.

"It's your plan, Chloe," he said. "We're just here to execute it. Tell us where you want us."

She took a deep breath.

"Ok," she said. "With so many teams of rangers having agreed to help us, we're able to keep you working together in teams. Some will be working as full teams, others will be in pairs or in threes."

She pulled up a map on the computer.

"I'll go over the other ranger teams' assignments with them," she said. "But I want all of you to know where you'll be starting out. As the rangers with the most experience, I'll be relying on you to help me control the chaos of working with so many."

"We've got your back, Chloe," Zach said. "So where do you want us and when?"

"To start with," Chloe said. "I need at least one of you to go to Gotham."

"What?" Robin exclaimed. "Batman's not gonna like that."

"They won't be fighting in Gotham, Robin," Chloe said. "I spoke to Batman last night. They will be there to try and keep the fight from entering Gotham. Just in case Lex decides to send one of the heroes that direction, they can be ready to intercept them before they reach the city. That way Batman, and you, can focus elsewhere. They will be under strict instructions not to interfere with anything while in the city."

"They'd better stay out of Tigress and Batgirl's way," Robin said, settling back into his chair.

"They will," Chloe said. "Whoever is going will be staying a civilian unless they are told otherwise. Any volunteers?"

The rangers just looked at each other, no one speaking.

"Kim can go," Hayley said after a moment.

"What?" Kim said, surprised. "Why me?"

"Don't worry, Kim," Trini said quickly. "I'll go with you. We can spend some time catching up. It'll be fun."

"Alright," Kim said, glancing at Hayley again. "I'll go to Gotham."

"Great," said Chloe. "Now that that's taken care of, I'll be passing out the rest of your assignments. I went over the strengths and weaknesses of all of the rangers helping with Tommy. So hopefully you'll all be able to handle the heroes I'm sending you after."

Chloe pulled up Black Canary's profile.

"Dinah, aka Black Canary, is human," she said. "But she is a strong fighter. She is highly skilled in hand to hand combat and is used to fighting at night. Canary can move quickly and will use her skills to her advantage. What makes her even more difficult is her ability. Who here has seen what Kira can do?"

Trent, Conner, and Ethan immediately raised their hands. Tommy nodded and Oliver grimaced. The other rangers just shook their heads.

"Hayley?" said Chloe.

Hayley took over the computer for a moment, pulling up a video of Kira. It showed her and Trent sparring with Conner and Ethan, Tommy in the background watching. Conner tripped up Kira, but before he could "end" the fight, she took a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing scream. The rangers all flinched and, in the video, Conner dropped to his knees, hands over his ears. Hayley stopped the video.

"And that's just a rough recording," Chloe said, looking around.

"And I was holding back," added Kira, "because I didn't want to hurt Conner."

"Canary's scream works the same way," Chloe said. "So watch out for it."

"Don't worry," Jason said. "We will."

"Are we all going after her?" Rocky asked. "Cause, tough as you say she is, I think that might be overkill."

"No," Chloe said, shaking her head. "I'm only sending three of you. Tanya, Kat, and Aisha."

"We can handle it," Kat said, looking at the other two. "Right?"

They nodded.

"Good," Chloe said. "Now, Rocky, Adam, and Zach."

"Yo!" Zach said.

Chloe raised an eyebrow as she pulled up Cyborg's profile.

"You three will be taking down Victor, aka Cyborg," she said. "He is, as the name implies, a cyborg. He is extremely strong and is able to use any kind of technology to his advantage. To that end, Justin from the Turbo team will be helping you on the technological end. I've already spoken to him and Justin will be working from Tommy's lab in Reefside. Using Hayley's computer systems, he is going to try and keep Cyborg from using too much technology, that way you three can focus on the physical fight. It is not going to be easy."

"So then what about Jason and Tommy?" Kim asked. "Where will they be?"

Hayley glowered at Kim, but Chloe spoke up before she could say anything.

"They'll be here," she said. "Jason, Tommy, Kira, Trent, Ethan, and Conner will be working to hold back Clark."

"What?" Trini exclaimed. "But I thought you said none of us were strong enough to take on Clark."

"We aren't," Tommy said. "But the plan isn't to face him head on. We're going to be distracting him to try and minimize the damage until Batman can return with the blue Kryptonite."

"Oliver will also be with them," Chloe said. "He's fought with Clark countless times, so he should be able to help them avoid the worst of it. He'll also be on standby in case someone needs to be pulled out."

"And if we can't keep Clark back?" Jason asked. "What then?"

Chloe glanced over at Lois. She had started paying attention to them when she heard Clark's name.

"We have some ideas," she said quickly, "but nothing solid yet. We're just hoping this plan will work until Batman gets back."

"Anyways," Hayley said, catching Chloe's glance. "It's about time for lunch, so why don't we break for now? Chloe and I will have some calls to make later, but we can discuss more strategies when we're done."

Everyone stood up, stretching. The group dispersed for lunch, most everyone leaving Watchtower to eat elsewhere. Lois stayed at the window for a few minutes, and then joined Chloe at the computer.

"I already figured it out, Chlo," she said. "I know what Oliver will have to do if you can't stop Clark in time."

"Lois," Chloe started to say.

"No," Lois interrupted. "I don't want it anymore than you do, but we can't let Clark hurt anyone. Because if he does, even if he breaks out of it someday, the knowledge that he hurt or killed a friend would destroy him. I know that and so do you."

"I'm sorry, Lois," Chloe said. "He's been my best friend for a long time and I don't want it to come to that."

"I know," Lois said. "But what are you going to do if the military tries to intervene here? Because if they catch wind of this they aren't going to just watch it happen."

"Actually," Chloe said, "I was hoping you could help with that. The silver guardians have already agreed to put up blockades if necessary and the Space Rangers have called NASADA, but it would be really great if you could call in any favors you have through your dad."  
"I can do that," Lois said, a spark of determination in her eyes. "Between that and helping Tess at the planet, I'll actually feel useful. I may not be able to stop Clark, but at least I can help protect him."

Chloe smiled, giving Lois a hug.

"We're going to get out of this," Chloe said. "I don't know how, yet, but we're going to make it."

Lois nodded and both of them headed down the stairs to join Oliver, Hayley, Tommy, and the teens for lunch. They laughed when Robin dropped down from the rafters onto Oliver's shoulders, making him stumble forward in surprise. Grumbling, with Robin still hanging from his neck, Oliver led the way into the elevator.


	8. Back in practice

_Alright guys we are starting to get into the story a little more. This chapter was something that we really wanted to put in for some fun before the excitement starts up! Keep telling us what you are thinking, and we will be updating again soon. Enjoy!  
_

"Alright," Tommy said, looking around the room. "Now that we're all up to speed on what's going and what we're going to do, it's time to make sure we're all ready for action."

It was after lunch and everyone was back in Watchtower. They had cleared the downstairs level, moving all of the furniture off to the side in order to make a training area. Chloe had passed control over to Tommy for the afternoon now that she was done giving instructions. He stood in the center of the room while everyone else was scattered around, watching and listening to him.

"I know some of you are in practice and in shape," he continued. "Others are not."

He glanced meaningfully at Conner and the other teens.

"Aww, come on Dr. O," said Conner. "It's not like we've needed to work on anything. How were we supposed to know we'd be getting our powers back?"

"You should always be ready," Tommy said. "Because you never know when you're going to be called on again."

"Right, bro," Jason said. "Look at you. Ten years and all of a sudden you're a ranger again."

Tommy glared a Jason for a moment, and then shook his head.

"I'm going to take that as you volunteering to go first, then, Jason," Tommy said.

Jason shrugged and stood up.

"Well at least you can't blame your defeat on a rock to the head this time, bro," Jason said with a grin.

"We'll see about that," Tommy said. "Rocky, you referee."

Rocky nodded and stepped up.

"Wait," Ethan said. "You hit your head on a rock? When? Were you on coma watch again?"

"No, I wasn't" Tommy said. "And it was last week. I just had a minor concussion."

"Yeah, this time," said Conner.

"Coma watch?" Kim exclaimed. "Again? Tommy, what have you been doing?"

Hayley shot a look at Kim.

"Should he be sparring already?" Kat asked Hayley.

"I only give him a five day limit anymore," Hayley replied with a sigh. "It's the longest I can get him to sit still. Anything more than that is just punishment for me."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Kat said, laughing. "He always was stubborn."

"Ok," Tommy said, interrupting Kat and Hayley. "For the benefit of those who haven't seen us fight before, we spar martial arts style. You get points for striking your opponent in a kill zone or pushing them out of the ring. Time lasts four minutes. Come back to center after each point."

Chloe and Oliver nodded to Tommy.

"But before we start," Tommy said, turning to Jason.

Before Jason could react, Tommy took him down hard. He landed on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"He didn't call time!" Jason exclaimed, half sitting up.

"That was pay back, dude," Tommy said, pulling Jason to his feet. "I checked the arena after our last fight. The only rocks were outside of the ring, where my head landed."

"Do you two even need me?" Rocky asked, shaking his head. "Or is this just going to be a free-for-all?"

"We're good," Tommy said as he and Jason took their positions again.

"Sure you are," Rocky said. "Ready? Time!"

Tommy and Jason flew into motion. They were almost evenly matched, each of them scoring points. The taunting continued as they fought, especially when one or the other scored a point.

"Come on, old man," Jason said after he knocked Tommy out of the ring. "You've got to move faster than that."

"I'm younger than you are," Tommy responded, leaping to his feet.

"Point," Rocky said. "Back to center."

"Should they be fighting if they're mad at each other?" Chloe asked Hayley. "They look like they want to kill each other."

"Oh they aren't mad at each other," Hayley said. "They're just concentrating. If they were mad at each other, they wouldn't be talking."

"Like that five year stretch after high school," Trini said. "I still don't know what that was about. Do you?"

"No," Hayley said. "Tommy wouldn't tell me."

"Point," Rocky said, point at Tommy. "Back to center."

"Jason wouldn't tell me either," Trini said, shaking her head.

"And all it took was one mission to the moon and all of a sudden everything is better," Hayley said. "Men can be such idiots sometimes."

"Hey!" Jason and Tommy both exclaimed.

"We can hear you, you know," Jason said, glancing at Trini and Hayley real quick.

Tommy took advantage of his distraction and side-swept Jason's legs out from underneath him. Jason landed with a grunt.

"Point," Rocky said, pointing at Tommy again. "Back to center."

"Jason, dear," Trini said. "You really should be paying attention to the fight, not us."

"Go," said Rocky

"Or learn to ignore the distractions," Tommy said, landing another hit.

"Point," Rocky said. "Back to center."

"And how do you do that?" Jason asked, shaking himself as he tried to regain his focus.

"Go," said Rocky.

"Spend time on a team with teenagers," Tommy said drily, blocking a kick. "I really don't know how we managed to stay focused when we were younger."

"Time," said Rocky.

Jason and Tommy immediately stopped.

"Guess you win this one," Jason said. "But I'll get you next time."

"We'll see," Tommy said.

Oliver stood up from where he was sitting by Chloe.

"That looks easy enough," he said. "Let me have a go."

"I'll take you," Zach said with a grin, hopping up and moving to the ring.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Tommy started to say.

"He'll be fine, Tommy," Oliver said. "I've got the idea down and I'll be careful with him."

"I don't think that's what he meant, Oliver," Chloe said. "Besides, you're still recovering from your fights with Batman and Clark. Maybe you should sit this one out."

"Don't worry, Chloe," Oliver said. "I'll be careful."

Chloe shook her head and Hayley patted her arm.

"Just leave it," Hayley said. "He'll have to learn the hard way."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Chloe muttered.

Oliver and Zach took their positions in the ring.

"Ready?" said Tommy. "Time!"

Oliver and Zach didn't immediately attack each other like Jason and Tommy had. They studied each other for a few moments, then Oliver made the first moved. He caught Zach's foot, tripping him out of the ring.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

"Good job," Zach said, grinning. "That was your freebie."

"What?" Oliver said.

"Go," Tommy said.

Zach moved quickly, leaping over Oliver's kick and dancing around him. Next thing Oliver knew, he was on his back staring up at the ceiling.

"Where did that come from?" Oliver groaned.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

The rest of the time continued in a similar fashion. Oliver kept losing track of Zach as he danced around, distracting Oliver and then hitting him while he was still looking in the other direction. When the four minutes ended, Oliver sat back down next to Chloe and groaned.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea," Chloe said, shaking her head. "You aren't used to fighting the way they do."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Oliver grumbled.

More of the group were getting up now and splitting off into pairs. Some sparred while others offered pointers to those who had been out of practice for a while.

"I have never seen this many people in Watchtower at one time," Tess said behind Oliver. "Are these the rest of the power rangers?"

"What are you doing here, Tess?" Oliver asked.

"I came to talk to Chloe, but this looks like a lot more fun," she answered, looking around. "Why don't we go a round?"

"No," Oliver said, shaking his head. "Not gonna happen."

"Why not?" Tess asked, taking off her jacket and laying it across the back of a couch.

She dropped her purse and kicked off her heels, looking at Oliver expectantly.

"I've been embarrassed enough for one day," Oliver answered. "Besides, I'm injured."

"Now you listen," Chloe muttered, glaring at him.

"Now Oliver," Tess said. "I promise I'll take it easy on you."

"I don't think so," he said. "Getting beaten by you isn't on my list of things to do today."

"If you need a sparring partner, I'm up for it," Trini said, approaching Tess. "I'm Trini."

"Tess," Tess said.

"So where do you fit into all of this?" Trini asked.

"She's Lex's crazy, psycho half-sister who finally decided helping us was the better life choice," Oliver said.

"Gee, Ollie," Tess said, smirking. "No mention of me being your ex-girlfriend on that resume?"

Oliver grimaced and Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Looks like Tommy isn't the only one with ex-girlfriend issues," Zach said with a grin.

Both Tommy and Oliver glared at him.

"Hey, I'm just saying," Zach said. "But I do have to admit, Tess is way scarier than Kim or Kat."

"Maybe," Tommy said. "But give Kim a credit card and let her loose in a mall…"

"Anyways," Chloe said, shaking her head. "Tess is on our side now and we're grateful for her help."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Oliver grumbled.

Chloe elbowed him and he winced.

"You heard the rules?" Tommy asked Tess, stepping in before an argument started.

"I think I've got the gist of it," Tess said, stepping into the ring with Trini.

"Alright," Tommy said. "Ready? Time!"

Tess leapt straight into the fight. After a few moments, she landed the first hit.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

"You're good," said Trini.

"I've had a lot of practice," said Tess.

"Go," Tommy said.

Trini scored the next point and then Tess scored again. They were pretty evenly matched, each one scoring multiple points. The four minutes ended with the two women tied.

"Great match," Tess said.

"Same to you," said Trini. "Where did you learn how to fight?"

"Here and there," Tess said, shrugging. "It comes in handy. Especially with the crowd I'm generally involved with. Being able to defend yourself is the best way to stay alive."

Moving back over to the couch, Tess started collecting her stuff.

"You're busy right now, Chloe," she said. "So I'll just call you later. I want to know what the full plan is so I can make assignments accordingly."

"I'll call you later tonight," Chloe said. "And I can do better than that. I've got something drawn up on the computer. I'll shoot you an email too. Thanks again for your help."

Tess nodded and headed toward the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, Kim approached Tommy from the other side of the room.

"Want to give me some pointers?" she asked with a smile. "We could spar. I'm not up to your speed, but it would be good practice."

"Well," Tommy said, glancing over at Hayley who was glaring at Kim. "I—"

"I'll spar with you, Kim," Hayley said, getting up and joining them.

"You?" Kim said. "I don't know."

"It's ok," Hayley said. "I practice with Tommy."

"Alright," Kim said. "If you're sure."

"Hayley," Tommy said. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Don't worry, Tommy," Kim said. "I'll take it easy on her."

"That's not—" Tommy started to say.

"Why thank you, Kim," Hayley interrupted, smirking. "I'm sure I'll do fine."

Over on one of the couches Conner, Ethan, Trent, and Kira were laughing hysterically. Conner slipped and fell of the couch and they started laughing harder.

"What's their problem?" Kim asked as she and Hayley took their positions.

Hayley just shrugged in response, still smirking.

"Ready?" Tommy asked grudgingly.

"Don't worry if you can't keep up," Kim said with a smile. "It can be hard to pick up some of the moves. But I'll give you pointers."  
"Thanks," Hayley said. "We're ready."

"Time!" said Tommy.

Kim moved forward, intending to trip Hayley and just knock her out of the ring. But before she could touch her, Hayley had Kim laying flat on her back.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

"Good job," Kim said. "Let's see what you do with this."

"Go," Tommy said.

This time Hayley leapt forward in an attack. Kim blocked her for a few moments, then Hayley landed a hit.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

"Ok," Kim said. "I'm really out of practice."

"Go," said Tommy.

Kim didn't hesitate. She still moved more slowly than she used to, but this time she landed a kick before Hayley could knock her down.

"Point," Tommy said. "Back to center."

By the time the four minutes were up, Kim had only scored one more point. Hayley kept blocking her attempts and scoring against Kim. When the fight was over, Kim stood still for a moment to catch her breath. Hayley stood next to Tommy, still smirking at Kim. Tommy was shaking his head at her and talking to her quietly.

"I was more out of practice then I thought," Kim said, taking a deep breath. "I guess I really do need pointers."

"Well, Hayley did leave out something important about her training," Kira said, walking over from the couch.

The boys were still trying to control themselves.

"What?" Kim asked. "I know she trained with Tommy."

"Actually," said Kira. "Hayley is a second degree black belt. She's been training with Dr. O since they were in college…"

"Oh," Kim said, looking over at Hayley. "But I thought you were just the team's tech."

"She is our tech," Tommy said, "but that wouldn't stop someone from hurting her if they thought it would get them somewhere. That's why I made sure she could defend herself."

"You did that with all of us, bro," Jason said, finishing up a match with Rocky. "We've all taken pointers from you at some point in time."

"Is that why everyone says you're the greatest ranger?" Trent asked.

"Nope," Zach interrupted. "It's because he has two theme songs."

"Zach!" Tommy exclaimed, glaring at him.

"What?" said Conner. "You have theme songs Dr. O?"

"No—I," Tommy started to say.

"He does," said Zach. "I have them on my ipod."

"Why haven't we heard them before?" Conner asked, moving to stand next to Zach as he scrolled through his playlist.

"Because Hayley was supposed to delete them," Tommy growled, glaring at Hayley.

"I did," she said. "From your computer. You never know when a little blackmail will be necessary."

"You wanna listen to them?" Zach asked Conner. "I can hook this up to the sound system."

"Give me that, Zach," Tommy said, stalking toward him.

"I don't think so dude," Zach said.

Tommy jumped for the ipod and Zach took off running across Watchtower, Tommy hot on his heels. The other rangers started laughing, jumping out of the way of the chase.

"Aw, come on Dr. O," Conner said. "We want to listen to your theme songs."

"Not going to happen, Conner," Tommy yelled as he chased Zach up the stairs.

They disappeared from sight. There was a loud crash and everyone looked up. A moment later Tommy came walking back down the stairs, slipping the ipod into his pocket. Zach appeared a moment later, limping slightly.

"Aw, come on man," he said. "Give me back my ipod."

"After I delete the songs," Tommy said without turning around.

"But Dr. O," said Conner.

"No," Tommy said.

"Why do you have two theme songs, Tommy?" Chloe asked.

"I blame the media," Tommy said, "and Jason."

"What does Jason have to do with it?" asked Oliver.

"He was trying to convince everyone the green ranger was good," Tommy said. "And it went downhill from there."

"Hey, bro," Jason said, putting his hands up. "I was just trying to save you from the bad press."

"I'm sure you were," Tommy said, glaring at him.

"Chloe," Oliver said suddenly.

He had been studying Hayley while Tommy was chasing Zach around.

"Yes, Oliver?" she said.

"Remind me never to make Hayley mad," he said.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"She's a second degree black belt," Oliver answered. "If I make her too angry, she could kill me and then make it so I never existed. No one would know I was gone!"

Chloe shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I would notice," she said.

"But you already don't exist," Oliver muttered.

"Yes, but you still know I'm here," Chloe said with a smile.

"Wait a minute," Ethan said. "Chloe doesn't exist? When did that happen?"

"Did Hayley erase your identity?" Conner asked.

"No," Chloe said, shaking her head. "I did that. But it's a long story."

"But why did you erase your own identity?" Ethan asked.

"Alright," Tommy said, interrupting the conversation. "It's time to get back to the matter at hand."

"I thought the matter at hand was your theme songs," Conner said with a grin. "They make you the greatest ranger, after all."

"Thank you, Conner," Tommy said, "for being the next volunteer."

Conner groaned and stood up from the couch.

"Not cool, Dr. O," he grumbled.

"I wanna try," Robin said, dropping down out of the rafters.

He had been sitting up there watching everything since they got back from lunch. Landing in the middle of the ring, he grinned at Conner. Conner shook his head, but stepped forward into the ring.

"Alright," Conner said. "I'll spar with you, kid. But no complaining if you get hurt."

"Don't get cocky, Conner," Tommy warned. "Ready?"

"Ready!" said Robin.

"Time," Tommy said.

Robin immediately leapt into motion, flipping out of Conner's reach as the teen kicked toward him. He kept flipping, moving around Conner in circles. Conner tried following him, but couldn't land a hit.

"Conner," Tommy said, "you've got to—no, not like that—wait—focus on your opponent. No. Now come on."

Conner kept trying to land a hit or knock Robin out of the ring, but the boy wouldn't stay still and it was throwing Conner off. He kept spinning in circles, trying to keep Robin in his line of vision. It was making him dizzy though, and he stumbled.

"Just stay put!" he exclaimed, trying to grab Robin.

But Robin just darted out of the way again, flipping over Conner's outstretched arm.

"Conner," Tommy said in exasperation. "Stop trying to follow his every move and focus on predicting where he'll be next. He's moving too quickly for you to keep tracking him like that."

"How am I supposed to predict anything when he's flipping over my head?" Conner asked.

Just as the four minutes wound down, Robin flipped one last time and came up behind Conner, landing a kick square in the middle of his back. Conner stumbled forward and did a face-plant on the floor.

"Point and time," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"Not cool, Robin," Conner grumbled from the floor.

"That's it," Tommy said, hauling Conner to his feet. "You're practicing with me."

"Good job, Conner," Ethan laughed. "You just got beat up by an eight year-old."

"I'd stop laughing, Ethan," Tommy said. "The three of you are included in this training session, so get over here."

Ethan stopped laughing. Grumbling, the other three teens joined Tommy. Ignoring the ring for the moment, the four teens took position facing Tommy.

"Is that really fair?" Kat asked, looking at the group. "Four on one?"

"No, not really," Hayley said. "Even with four of them they still can't beat Tommy."

Kat looked at Hayley in surprise and Jason started laughing.

"I'll referee," he said. "Just because this is going to be entertaining."


	9. The Night Before

A few hours later, the training session finally wrapped up so everyone could settle down for dinner. Groaning, the four teens limped over to a couch and collapsed next to Hayley. She smiled at them, shaking her head. Kim was groaning too after her fight with Hayley.

"You guys should have stayed in better shape," she said. "Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Yeah, yeah," Conner grumbled.

"That was so much worse without the Ranger powers to heal us," Ethan groaned. "When can we activate them again?"

"Tomorrow," Tommy said. "Which reminds me. Before we eat dinner, there's on last thing we need to discuss. Let's sit down for a few minutes."

Everyone gathered into one place again, forming a circled with the couches. Tommy looked around for a place to sit. Kim saw him looking and scooted over, patting the seat next to her. But before he could move, Hayley shoved the Dino Thunder team over, making them squish together. Grabbing Tommy's arm, she pulled him down onto the couch next to her, sandwiching herself between him and the teens.

"Sorry about that," Tommy said to Kim. "She can be a bit possessive sometimes."

He glared at Hayley, but she just returned his glare. He shook his head and took a deep breath, but she just smiled and leaned against his shoulder.

"Back to the subject," Tommy said, turning back to the group. "We need to go over what you can and cannot do with your powers once you have them back."

"What do you mean?" asked Jason. "I thought they were going to be like before."  
"Not exactly," said Tommy, shaking his head. "They'll still work like before, but they aren't meant to be permanent in any way. They will eventually burn out. And the harder you fight, the faster they'll be gone."

"So we'll be going through losing our powers all over again?" Zach asked.

"Yes," Hayley said. "And they're limited. Once the power is gone, it's gone. The program Tommy and I created won't restore them a second time."

"That means you need to conserve your power," Tommy said. "Most of you will have multiple powers to use, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful with them."

"Sorry to interrupt, Tommy," Chloe said, walking down the stairs.

Chloe and Oliver had gone upstairs for the remainder of the training session. Robin had joined them, talking with Batman again with his communicator. Coming back down the stairs, Chloe held a laptop in her hands.

"Justin wanted to talk to you before he got off," she said.

Turning the computer to face the group, Chloe hit a few keys and Justin appeared on the screen.

"Hey guys!" he said, waving into the camera. "I made it to your lab, Tommy."

"I'm assuming you've figured out how everything runs already?" Hayley asked, smiling.

"It was easy," Justin said. "I'm all ready to counter whatever Cyborg tries. No guarantees on everything working, but at least I should be able to slow him down."

He paused, taking a bite of food.

"Justin," Tommy said, leaning forward. "Are you eating my food?"

"Hey," Justin said. "You aren't letting me join the fight and left me at your house alone. The least you can do is share your food."

"Great," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I should just invest in a grocery store at this rate."

"Anyways," Justin said with a grin. "I've got my morpher, just in case you need me in the field. I'll be in touch with you first thing tomorrow. See you later!"

The screen went dark and Chloe closed the laptop. She and Oliver pulled up chairs and joined the group.

"I'm never going to be able to keep food in my fridge, am I?" Tommy said to Hayley. "Because if it isn't Conner, it's someone else."

"I know the feeling," Chloe said. "I usually have to restock Watchtower's fridge at least every other day. Bart clears it out quickly."

"But you have a billionaire backing you," Tommy said. "I only have a teacher's salary."

"Wait," Oliver said. "Don't you own a resort?"

"Anyways," Hayley said. "We're going to hand out your powers tonight, but don't activate them until you need them."

Standing up, Hayley retrieved a case from the table that had been pushed against the wall.

"How do we activate them?" Trini asked.

"Just use your morphing phrases," Tommy said. "Use the morphers just like you used to and that will activate them and restore your powers."

Tommy and Hayley passed out the morphers.

"And Kim," Tommy said. "You won't be able to use the ninjetti powers because you gave them to Kat."

"Oh," said Kim. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm staying in Gotham for most of the fight."

Moving on, Tommy and Hayley finished passing out the morphers and Hayley put the case away.

"Hey, bro," Jason said, frowning. "Where's my gold ranger power?"

"Not here," Tommy said. "You aren't using it."

"What?" Jason said. "Why not?"

"We weren't able to separate the powers from your life force," Hayley said. "If you burnt through those powers…"

"I'll be fine," Jason said. "We'll need everything we can."

"No," Tommy said firmly. "Burning out those powers, and you would eventually burn them out, would kill you."

"And don't worry, Jason," Hayley said. "I won't be letting Tommy use the green ranger powers either for the same reasons."

"I don't want to use them," Tommy said.

Everyone looked at Tommy in surprised.

"But the green ranger power is the strongest one you have," Zach said. "Why wouldn't you want to use it?"

"Because it could kill him," Hayley said. "Just like the gold power could kill Jason."

"Yes," Tommy said. "But the point is that I don't want to. Now, it's time that everyone got something to eat. Spend some time relaxing, because we are all going to bed early. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."

Talking quietly amongst themselves, the rangers dispersed around Watchtower.

"I'm going to go up to the Astro Megaship to finish coordinating things with the other teams," Tommy said to Hayley. "I think everyone is on the same page now, but I want to make sure. I also want to check on all of our satellite and network connections."

"Alright," she said. "Who's coming to get you?"

"TJ," Tommy answered. "He should be here any minute now."

There was a flash in the middle of the room.

"Speaking of," Hayley said. "There he is."

TJ looked around the room.

"Wow," he said. "This place is hopping tonight. You ready to go Tommy?"

"Just a minute, TJ," he said.

"That's ok, dude," TJ said.

Some of the other rangers walked up to greet TJ. He started chatting with them while he waited for Tommy.

"If anyone needs me," Tommy said, "just call the Megaship. I think everything down here is taken care of though, so there shouldn't be any issues."

"Don't worry," Chloe said. "That'll be the first place we call if something happens."

"Hey," Oliver said, walking up. "What's TJ doing here?"

"He's picking up Tommy," Chloe answered. "Tommy is going to go up to the Megaship for a few hours."

"Gotcha," Oliver said. "Have you seen Robin? He disappeared again…"

"No," Chloe said. "I haven't seen him for a while. But I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"Yeah," Oliver muttered. "Probably waiting to scare someone again."

TJ was saying goodbye to the other rangers. Turning away, he walked over to join Tommy, Hayley, Chloe, and Oliver.

"We'd better get going," TJ said. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Tommy said.

"Oh, TJ," said Hayley before they could leave. "Please make sure he eats dinner."

"Will do, Hayley," TJ said.

"Hayley," Tommy said. "You know I'm a grown man, right?"

She smiled. Standing in front of him, Hayley put a hand on his cheek.

"Yes," she answered. "And you forget these things all the time."

"He'll eat," TJ said. "And Andros even splurged. We're having spaghetti tonight."

"That'll be better than the octopus stuff we had last time," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," said TJ. "We told Andros that if he bought that again he'd be eating it all himself. The sad part is I think he was ok with it… Anyways, we'll leave as soon as you say the word."

Tommy stepped up next to TJ and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go," Tommy said.

"We're ready, D.E.C.A.," TJ said.

There was another flash of light and Tommy and TJ disappeared.

"Wait a minute," Oliver said when they were gone. "Why did Tommy get a warning? When they teleported me they didn't even ask if I was ready."

"Because the last time one of them tried they ended up in severe pain," Hayley answered. "TJ was in a cast for weeks. And he's lucky Tommy didn't do worse."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "Why?"

"It's a long story," Hayley said, shaking her head. "But the short of it is when Tommy was younger, right before he became the white ranger, both Zordon, his mentor, and Zed, the bad guy, tried to teleport him at the same time. He didn't get any warning and it was extremely painful. Fortunately, Zordon got him first. But since then Tommy has wanted to be in control of the teleporting."

"That makes sense," Chloe said. "He's really gone through a lot, hasn't he?"

"More than you know," Hayley said, glaring at Kim's back where she stood across the room.

"Maybe I should break someone's arm," Oliver grumbled. "Anyways, I'm going to find Robin. If we lose him Batman will kill us."

"He's got to be here somewhere," Chloe said. "Oh. I think I found him."

Across the room, Conner had just jumped backward several feet, knocking over a chair. Robin was perched on another chair, laughing. Oliver groaned, heading in that direction.

"Is Oliver asleep?" Jason asked, looking over at the oversized chair Oliver was sitting in.

* * *

It was several hours later and most of the rangers had gone to bed. Chloe and Hayley were both at the computer. Jason and Trini had joined them after dinner. The five of them, including Oliver, had been distracting themselves with stories of past missions. But as the night went on, the talking had stopped.

"Yes," Chloe said without turning away from the computer.

"But wasn't he supposed to stay up and make sure you went to bed?" Jason said. "That's what he said he was doing."

"He was," Chloe said. "But it's been a long few days for him, even before all of you showed up. Between the two big fights, chasing Robin around, and sparring with you guys he's worn out."

"Does he do this often?" asked Trini.

"Yeah," Chloe said, finally turning around to glance at Oliver. "He's trying to make sure I don't push myself too hard. Most of the time this is the easiest way to get him to go to sleep."

There was a flash of light downstairs and they all looked in that direction. A moment later there was another flash of light and then they heard footsteps on the stairs. Tommy came up, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck. He looked exhausted.

"Is Oliver asleep?" he asked, standing at the top of the stairs.

Hayley stood up and walked over to him.

"Yes," she said. "Just like you should be."

"Mmmhmm…" Tommy said.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he said, kissing her neck.

Hayley smiled and returned the hug.

"Not today," she said. "But I love you, too. Now come on. I have a bed all ready for you. And if you're good I'll even sit with you for a while."

She led Tommy out of the room, one of his arms around her shoulders. The room was quiet for a moment. Then Trini looked over at Jason.

"Why don't you do that with me anymore?" she asked.

Jason looked at her in surprise for a moment.

"I love you honey," he said finally, leaning forward to give Trini a hug and kiss.

"Too late," she said, standing up and moving out of his reach. "I'm going to bed."

Jason sighed and followed her.

"I'm gonna kill Tommy," Jason muttered as he left the room.

Chloe shook her head and sighed. Standing up, she stretched and turned around to turn off the computer. Standing by the couch, she studied Oliver for a moment.

"Everything we can do to get ready, we've done," she said softly to herself.

Grabbing a blanket from a nearby couch, Chloe hit the lights and headed back to the chair Oliver was sleeping in. She climbed into the chair, cuddling up against him. Oliver shifted, muttering in his sleep, and put his arms around her. Chloe adjusted the blanket over both of them and closed her eyes.

"All we can do now is wait," she mumbled before drifting off to sleep.


	10. In Position

"Everyone is in position, Red Leader," Andros said on the video screen. "And they all have the tracking devices so we can pick up the rogue heroes once they've been subdued. The trackers will let us focus the transporter more accurately so we can lock on to the heroes and transport them directly to where they are going to be held."

It was mid-morning and the Space Rangers had just finished transporting the last group to their positions. Tommy, Jason, and the teens were still in Watchtower with Chloe, Hayley, and Robin. Oliver had left earlier to scout around Metropolis.

"Thank you, Space One," Tommy answered. "We're heading out now. Watchtower will be coordinating between teams from now on."

"Understood, Red Leader," Andros answered. "Space One out."

The screen went blank and Tommy turned to face the group.

"Alright, Chloe," he said. "It's all yours. Everyone has been instructed to follow Watchtower's orders."

"Why do you get to be 'Red Leader'?" Jason asked, leaning against the railing. "I'm the original red ranger."

"Because Tommy is leading the rangers in the field," Chloe answered. "And according to the typical chain of command, the red ranger is the leader. So he is Red Leader."

"Still not fair," Jason grumbled. "It's not like he doesn't have other colors to choose from."

"Oh shut up, Jase," Tommy said. "You came back too."

"Yeah," Jason said. "But I only get to use one color."

"Would you two get out of here?" Chloe interrupted. "You're supposed to be heading to meet Oliver."

"We're going," Jason answered. "Still think you should pick a different color since you have so many."

"Would you like to die?" Tommy asked. "Cause I can go get your gold power."

"No you can't," Hayley said. "I locked it in the vault and changed the combination."

"Wow, bro," Jason said as they headed toward the stairs. "Your fiancé has you whipped already."

"How many times do I have to tell you," Tommy said. "We aren't engaged yet."

"Yet?" Hayley said, turning to look at him.

"See what you did now?" Tommy groaned, glaring at Jason.

They headed toward the elevator, still arguing. The teens trailed down the stairs behind them.

"Don't worry, bro," Jason said with a grin. "I'll help you ring shop."

"I don't need your help," Tommy snapped as the elevator door closed.

"Umm… I think they forgot something," Kira said, still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah," Ethan said. "Did they forget that we're supposed to go with them?"

"Just go wait for the elevator," Hayley said. "They'll eventually realize you aren't there."

Shrugging, the teens headed over to the elevator. The doors opened again to reveal Tommy.

"Are you guys coming?" he asked.

"You left without us!" Conner exclaimed.

"Well I didn't think I'd have to babysit you," Tommy retorted.

"Go on guys," Hayley said, leaning over the railing. "And Tommy, don't kill Conner today. Or let anyone else kill him. I reserve that right."

"Aww..." Conner said. "Hayley, you do care."

"Get out of here," she said, shaking her head. "Oliver is waiting."

The teens piled into the elevator with Tommy and the doors shut again. Hayley returned to her computer, still shaking her head.

"Alright," she said. "All of the satellites are up and running. I'm ready to start running camera interference as soon as the rogues make their appearance."

"Great," Chloe said. "Lois should be stopping by any minute to check in. I know Tess has her running in circles, not mention all the coordinating she's doing to try and keep the military out of Metropolis. But in the meantime…"

Chloe pulled up video screens on all of her monitors. She wanted to be ready to have eyes on the fights as they started. Putting in her earpiece, Chloe took a deep breath.

"Watchtower to Green Arrow," she said.

_"Go ahead, Watchtower," _Green Arrow answered.

"Red Leader and team are on their way," she said. "Please keep an eye on Red Leader and Red One."

_"Affirmative," _Green Arrow answered, then paused before he continued. _"Do I want to know?"_

"Don't worry about it, Green Arrow," Chloe answered. "Just make sure they don't kill each other before they face Boyscout."

_"Got it," _Green Arrow said. _"Green Arrow out."_

Chloe leaned back in her chair, sighing.

"This is going to be a long and hard day," she said.

"Hey, Chloe," Robin said, perching on the chair next to her.

He was back in his costume, ready to move if necessary. Robin had been monitoring the batwave all day, waiting for a confirmation from Batman about the blue Kryptonite.

"What is it, Robin?" Chloe asked.

"Why are you talking to everyone like they're strangers again?" he asked.

"We need to protect their identities," Chloe said. "We aren't sure what Lex has gotten access to at this point. Also, if an earpiece falls into the wrong hands using names could be dangerous. This way no one is giving away who they're actually talking to."

"Got it," Robin said. "Code names."

The elevator doors opened and Lois walked in, moving quickly.

"Hey, Chlo," she said. "I don't have long. Just wanted to let you know that my contacts in the military are going to have deployment so screwed up that it'll take them at least the rest of the day to try and respond to anything. Also, Tess and I were up all night pulling together a superhero featuring paper for today. Every good story that's ever been run, with a front page story telling the public that their heroes have been brainwashed and someone is trying to rescue them."

"Wonderful," Chloe said. "That'll go a long ways toward helping."

"Glad to help," Lois said. "And we made sure to put out on the news networks what we could and to caution people to stay indoors until the crisis has passed. Not sure how many will listen, but it should help minimize civilian contact."

"Good," said Chloe. "Keep me updated."

Lois nodded and headed back to the elevator. Turning back to the computers again, Chloe started typing. One of the screens lit up, showing a visual on one of the ranger teams. It was Kat, Aisha, and Tanya. They were sitting at a small table outside a café.

"Watchtower to Pink Two," Chloe said.

_"Go ahead, Watchtower," _Kat answered.

"Is everyone set?" asked Chloe.

_"Affirmative," _Kat said. _"Yellow Two and Yellow Three are here with me. We're ready and watching."_

"Great," Chloe said. "Check in when Black Canary shows."

_"Got it, Watchtower," _said Kat. _"Pink Two out."_

Turning to the next screen, Chloe pulled up another visual. This time it showed Rocky, Adam, and Zach. The guys were walking on a sidewalk in a downtown district, taking their time and pretending to be interested in a window display at an electronics store.

"Watchtower to Black One," Chloe said.

_"What's up, Watchtower?" _Zach said.

"Any sightings?" Chloe asked.

_"Nothing yet," _Zach answered.

"Call me when Cyborg shows up," Chloe said. "And remember what I told you. Keep the electronics away from him."

_"Black One out," _Zach said.

Chloe continued down her list, pulling up the next video feed. Cam, Dustin, and Hunter from the Ninja Storm team were crouched on top of a building, watching the street below.

"Watchtower to Ninja Six," Chloe said.

_"This is Ninja Six," _Cam answered. _"Go ahead, Watchtower."_

"Keep a sharp eye out for Impulse," Chloe said. "He's going to be moving at top speed. Remember that the more you can keep him moving, the faster he's going to wear himself out. Wear him out and then trip him up and make him stop moving. That's your best shot. You won't be able to chase him down."

_"Understood, Watchtower," _Cam said. _"Ninja Six out."_

On the next screen Chloe pulled up a camera showing the rest of the Ninja Storm team. Tori, Shane, and Blake were sitting on a dock, waiting.

"Watchtower to Ninja One," Chloe said.

_"Ninja One here," _Shane answered. _"What's up Watchtower?"_

"Aquaman is not going to be easy to catch," Chloe warned. "As long as he is in the water he'll be able to out maneuver you. And if he's hydrated, he's super-strong. Don't underestimate him."

_"Don't worry, Watchtower," _Tori said. _"I'll get him out of the water one way or another."_

"Just be careful," Chloe said.

_"Ninja One out," _said Shane.

"Two more to go," Chloe muttered, pulling up the next screen.

The Wild Force team members were all pretending to relax on a bench in front of a store. Cole was pacing in front of his team.

"Watchtower to Wild Force One," Chloe said.

_"Here, Watchtower," _Cole said.

"Ok," Chloe said. "You guys have a pair up. Star Girl isn't strong enough to be a real threat on her own. Get her staff away, and keep it away, and you'll have no problems. She can be scrappy, but she isn't overly strong or skilled at fighting. Hawkman on the other hand—"

_"Don't worry, Watchtower," _Cole interrupted. _"We've got this. They aren't going to know what hit them."_

"Don't underestimate Hawkman," Chloe warned. "He's extremely strong. And the angrier he is, the stronger he gets. He'll be hitting hard. Be on your toes with him."

_"We've got this," _Cole repeated. _"Wild Force One out."_

Chloe shook her head.

"They're going to be in so much trouble," she muttered, bringing up the final video.

Eric and Wes were leaning against a wall, watching people walk by.

"Watchtower to Time Force One," Chloe said.

_"Go ahead, Watchtower," _Wes answered.

"You two have a tough assignment," Chloe said. "Martian Man Hunter is not going to be easy to stop. He can phase through objects and change his appearance. Be vigilant. Fortunately, he's not a fan of combat. Hopefully that will still be present despite his mind's current condition. Be careful and I'll send back up when and if I can."

_"Understood, Watchtower," _Wes said. _"Time Force One out."_

Leaning back, Chloe took a deep breath.

"Watchtower to Rescue One," she said, not pulling up a visual this time.

_"This is Rescue One," _Carter answered. _"Lightspeed Rescue is on standby to respond."_

"Great," Chloe said. "Be ready to respond at a moment's notice. I have a feeling Wildforce is going to need some help…"

_"We'll be ready," _Carter said. _"Rescue One, out."_

"Everyone is ready," Chloe said to Hayley. "Let's just hope nothing goes wrong."

"Oh, something is bound to," Hayley said. "We just need to be ready to react when it does."

"Right," Chloe said.


	11. The First Attack

_Alright finally! We have some action now! :) Thanks for sticking with us though the first part with a lot of fun stuff, but now we are going to get to a little more of the fighting. The time line in the majority of the battle will be overlapping and a little complicated, however we made it as easy to follow as we could. So hang in there and just pay attention to who is captured when that will tell you a lot. :) Thanks for the reviews so far we like seeing what you think so keep them coming!_

_Disclaimer: We do not own Power Rangers, Smallville, or Batman, but a friend did bring us a box of cookies last night so good things do happen! :D _

"Where are they?" Green Arrow muttered, scanning the area.

He was crouched on a rooftop, waiting for the rangers to join him. The sounds of their cycles caught his attention and Green Arrow spotted the team pulling up in a nearby alley. They were already morphed and ready for battle. Green Arrow dropped down in the alley with them.

"I've got an idea," Jason was saying as he climbed off the back of Tommy's ATV. "Next time, Conner can run and I'll drive his cycle."

"He had to conserve his energy," Tommy said, shaking his head and looking around.

"Does he ever run out?" Green Arrow asked from behind.

The teens jumped, spinning around to face him. Tommy just kept scanning the street.

"Not usually," Tommy answered. "But he needs to conserve his ranger powers for the fight. Running would not be a good choice."

"Then how about you make me my own cycle?" Jason suggested.

"Because you don't need one," Tommy said. "Besides, Trini would kill me. She already hates your normal motorcycle"

"Probably," Jason said.

"Any sign of Clark?" Tommy asked.

"Not yet," Green Arrow answered. "But this is the correct location. He should be here anytime. Did Watchtower say anything about our secret weapon?"

"No news yet," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Watchtower will let us know as soon as she has word."

A loud crash followed by an explosion caught their attention. The group sprinted to the end of the alley in time to see a vehicle go flying through the air.

"I guess it's time," Green Arrow said. "I'm going up to the rooftops so I can get a better vantage point. Good luck."

Tommy nodded and led his team out into the street.

* * *

_"Green Arrow to Watchtower," _Green Arrow said.

"Go ahead, Green Arrow," Chloe answered, pulling up the video feed.

_"Boyscout is here," _he answered.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

_"No," _Green Arrow answered. _"The passenger sedan threw itself down the street."_

Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head. Hayley's fingers started flying across the keyboard, shutting down cameras and rerouting any necessary feed to Watchtower.

_"Yes he's here," _Green Arrow said. _"The rangers are going out to see what they can do to slow him down."_

"Just be careful," Chloe said.

_"Green Arrow out," _he said.

* * *

"Clark!" Tommy called, stepping out into the street.

The rest of the team stepped out behind him, taking defensive positions. Clark stopped what he was doing, tossing the car he had been holding behind him. He was dressed all in black, but the symbol that was usually present on his shirt was absent.

"Lex said someone would try and stop us," Clark said, smirking at them. "But I didn't think you'd actually be stupid enough to get in my way."

"Clark," said Tommy. "You've been brainwashed. This isn't you. You've got to remember."

"I'm not falling for it," Clark snapped. "Lex said you'd try something like this. But he rescued me from the lie I was living. Now I work for him and we're going to set this world right."

"He's lying to you, Clark," Tommy argued. "What about your friends? What about Lois? They want you back."

"That's enough!" Clark snarled. "I'm not going to listen to your lies!"

Without a paused, he sped straight at Tommy. Conner sped in and pulled Tommy out of the way just in time.

"I don't think that's gonna work, Dr. O," he said as Clark turned around to come back.

"I had to try it," Tommy answered grimly. "The real Clark is in there somewhere."

Clark came running back, this time aiming for Kira and Trent. Trent slipped backward, phasing into the wall to try and get behind Clark. Kira took a deep breath and let out a sonic scream. Clark couldn't stop in time and ran right into it. He dropped to his knees, holding his ears. But before she could move, Clark stumbled to his feet. He aimed a punch right at her, but Ethan came from off to the side and jumped in the way, activating his armor. But the hit still sent him into Kira, and both went flying backward.

"Over here!" Conner yelled, zipping in front of Clark to draw his attention away from the others.

As Clark spun around the chase Conner, Trent jumped out of the wall and delivered a kick to his leg. Clark stumbled, his balance still off because of Kira's scream, but didn't go down. He just smacked Trent out of the way and sped after Conner. Conner ran past Tommy, Clark in hot pursuit. Tommy, used to tracking Conner, predicted Clark's position and tackled him as he passed. Surprised by the attack, Clark tripped and went down with Tommy. They both tumbled over each other, landing several feet away. Jason leapt in to pull Tommy to his feet.

"You ok, bro?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Tommy said. "But we're going to need a new way to distract him."

Kira, Trent, and Ethan were back on their feet. Ethan was favoring the arm he had taken the hit on. All three of them were shaking their heads, trying to clear them. Clark was climbing slowly to his feet, his anger visible.

"I've got an idea, Dr. O," Conner said, stopping next to them. "We've got to confuse him. Keep him from focusing on just one of us. If we keep him guessing on who's going to be where, it'll frustrate him and he'll stop thinking clearly."

"Great," Ethan muttered. "It'll be like playing a game of cat and mouse, only we're the mice and we're taunting the cat."


	12. Hero One Down

Back in Watchtower, Chloe was fielding call after call. The rogue heroes had all appeared at one time, leaving her no time to help Hayley with the cameras. Robin, still waiting for news from Batman, had started helping instead.

"No, Ninja Six!" Chloe exclaimed. "Don't chase Impulse! You've got to trip him up. Even with your abilities you aren't close to fast enough."

_"Understood, Watchtower," _Cam answered. _"Changing strategies."_

_"Wild Force One to Watchtower," _Cole interrupted. _"Star Girl and Hawkman are here. Engaging now."_

"Be careful, Wild Force One," Chloe said.

* * *

Cole spotted Star Girl first, striding down the street with her staff in hand. Hawkman was gliding above her. The other rangers leapt to their feet.

"Ready?" Cole asked.

"Ready!"

"Wild Access!" the rangers called.

Now morphed, the Wild Force team moved to intercept the two rogue heroes.

"Wild Force One to Watchtower," Cole said. "Star Girl and Hawkman are here. Engaging now."

_"Be careful, Wild Force One," _Chloe responded.

Cole didn't answer, focusing on Star Girl. Hawkman had disappeared, but no one noticed yet.

"Get out of my way," Star Girl said, pointing her staff at the team.

"Sorry, Star Girl," Cole said. "But you aren't going anywhere."

"That's where you're wrong," she said, smirking. "I'm going all the way to the top with Lex Luthor. He's going to rule this world and fix everything that's wrong with it."

"The only thing wrong with this world," Merrick said, "are people like Lex Luthor."

"You've got to break out of it, Star Girl," Taylor said. "Lex is just using you and the others."

"No!" yelled Star Girl. "He save us from people like you, who think they can decide what is right and what is wrong. We couldn't save Green Arrow or Batman, but I won't let you brainwash me again!"

Using her staff, Star Girl flew forward to attack. She struck at the rangers with her staff, sending them flying backwards.

"Get the staff!" Cole cried, leaping back to his feet.

The rangers attacked. Star Girl spun her staff, knocking a few of them off of their feet again. But this time Cole grabbed her staff. He held on tight as Taylor and Alyssa grabbed Star Girl's arm's and pulled her back. Star Girl fought to get away, but the rangers held tightly to her and the staff.

"Now what?" Max said. "What do we do with her?"

Cole didn't say anything for a moment, looking around.

"Wild Force One to Watchtower," he said. "We have Star Girl ready for pick up."

* * *

"How is everything going, Justin?" Chloe asked, looking at the video screen.

"Can't talk, Chloe," he said without looking at her. "Cyborg is wicked fast with the technology. I barely get a read on what he's doing before it's too late. Gotta concentrate."

Chloe sighed and signed off. Hayley and Robin were deep in concentration with the cameras at every location. Turning back to the computer, Chloe tried to find a better angle on the fight with Clark. They had already destroyed most of the cameras in the area.

_"Wild Force One to Watchtower," _Cole said. _"We have Star Girl ready for pick up."_

"That's great!" Chloe exclaimed. "Activate the tracker and clip it to her belt. Space One will take it from there. Be careful with Hawkman. He won't be that easy."

_"We got it," _Cole said. _"No problem. Wild Force One out."_

"They're going to die," Chloe muttered. "Maybe Hawkman has less of a temper when he's brainwashed…"

Robin and Hayley glanced over at her in surprise.

"I'm trying to be hopeful," Chloe said. "Who knows, he could be nicer."

"Yeah," Robin said. "We see how well that's going with Clark."

"I know," Chloe sighed. "I really wish none of this had happened."

"We all feel that way," Hayley said. "I've never had to deal with Tommy completely brainwashed, but I did have to deal with Trent. It isn't a good experience."

Sighing, Chloe checked over the other fights as she called Green Arrow and Tommy with an update.

"Watchtower to all teams," she said. "First capture accomplished. Star Girl is in our possession. Wild Force moving to take Hawkman."

"How are they doing?" Hayley asked.

She kept her voice calm, but glancing over Chloe could see Hayley was tense as her fingers flew across the keyboard.

"I'm really not sure," Chloe said. "I can't keep video on them because the cameras keep getting caught in the cross fire. But I'm sure they're all still alive."

"They are," Hayley said firmly.

Chloe took a deep breath and went back to observing the fights, calling out suggestions and instructions as necessary to some of the struggling teams.

* * *

"Ok, so maybe it wasn't the best idea," Conner said, wincing as he hit a wall. "But at least it's distracting him."

Giving Conner's plan a shot, the rangers had split up and kept moving. Forming a wide circle around Clark, the idea was to keep his focus constantly shifting so that no one was taking more of a beating than anyone else. They had managed to keep the fight from moving elsewhere, but he was quickly wearing them down.

"Conner, look out!" Kira yelled, stumbling toward him.

Clark hadn't taken Jason's bait and was continuing his charge at Conner. Conner tried to get back up and moving, but he was tired and dazed and couldn't move fast enough. Clark slammed into Conner sending him flying. Conner landed hard and de-morphed, his Dino gem burning out. He struggled to get up as Clark stalked toward him. A Kryptonite dart sped through the air, landing between Clark and Conner. Clark stumbled backward.

"Clark!" Tommy yelled, grabbing his attention.

Spinning around, Clark moved away from the Kryptonite and charged Tommy. He slammed into him at full speed, sending Tommy flying backward straight into a wall. Tommy slumped to the ground, de-morphing. He stayed down for a moment, shaking his head and trying to clear his vision. Kira and Ethan immediately leapt forward to attack Clark. But he grabbed Kira and threw her across the street where she crumpled and de-morphed. Ethan tried to block Clark, but the rogue hero just smacked him out of the way. He landed on top of a car and rolled off. Hitting the ground, Ethan de-morphed and staggered back to his feet.

"Bro," Jason yelled, running toward Tommy. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Tommy answered, using the wall to get to his feet as he tried to pull out his next morpher.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Tommy heard in his ear. _"First capture accomplished. Star Girl is in our possession. Wild Force moving to take Hawkman."_

Jason ran to Tommy's defense as Clark moved to strike him again. This time, Jason took the hit, slamming back into the wall by Tommy and de-morphing. Clark circled and moved in for another attack while Tommy struggled to change morphers. But as Clark charged the two of them, Trent came out of nowhere and slammed into him. Trent went flying backward and landed hard, lying dazed on the ground after he de-morphed. The unexpected hit was enough to make Clark stumbled off course and into the wall. It crumbled, falling down around him and giving Tommy a chance to morph.

"Shift into Turbo!" Tommy called. "Red Lightning Turbo Power!"

Clark burst out of the rubble and started moving toward Tommy, angrier then he had been. Jason stood next to Tommy, not leaving the fight despite not having powers. The teens were getting away as best they could. But they were moving slowly. Ethan was holding his left arm against his chest and holding up Conner with his right arm. Kira and Trent were leaning on each other, staggering as they tried to keep their balance. Every time they moved though, the movement caught Clark's attention and they had to freeze while Tommy got his attention back. Jason was still trying to fight at Tommy's side.


	13. Chasing Bart

_"Watchtower to Red Leader and Green Arrow," _Chloe said. _"Star Girl is in our possession. Wild Force moving to take Hawkman."_

"Great," Green Arrow muttered, watching the fight. "Now if only we were doing so well here."

Another Kryptonite dart was already loaded on his bow, ready to fire. Green Arrow was trying not to use them directly on Clark, because they didn't want to hurt him, and they would only slow him down anyways. The teens were all down. They had managed to get together and were attempting to leave the area, but they were still dangerously close to the fight. Trying to keep Clark in his sights, Green Arrow started making his way down to the teens. By the time he got down to street level, Tommy was struggling to keep Clark's focus on him. Jason tried to jump in the fight again, but Tommy grabbed him and threw him out of the way.

"Get out of here!" Tommy yelled at Jason. "You can't help me anymore."

Green Arrow found the teens huddled against a wall. They were trying to make their way to the alley where their cycles were, but they were exhausted. Conner was still completely out of it. Barely able to walk, he was leaning heavily on Ethan. Trent stumbled, nearly taking himself and Kira down again.

"I've got him," Green Arrow said to Ethan

He was still holding his bow in one hand, but Green Arrow used the other arm to take Conner.

"Red One!" Green Arrow exclaimed. "Let's go. We need to get them out of here. I need your help."

"I'm not leaving him alone," Jason said.

"We've got to get the kids out of here," Green Arrow yelled. "They can barely stand."

"Get out of here!" Tommy yelled, shoving Jason toward Green Arrow. "Get the kids to safety."

"I'm not leaving you, bro," Jason insisted.

"Go now!" Tommy yelled, taking another hit from Clark.

Jason finally gave in. He ran over to Green Arrow and the teens. He grabbed Trent and Kira, helping them move more quickly as Tommy fought to keep Clark's attention. They got to the cycles as quickly as they could. Jason jumped on Conner's cycle and took Conner from Green Arrow. Trent and Kira both climbed on Trent's ATV while Green Arrow took Kira's cycle. Ethan climbed on his own cycle. They took off, Green Arrow sticking close to Ethan to make sure he didn't lose control of the cycle since he was driving with one arm.

"Watchtower!" he said as they sped off. "Dino Thunder returning to base!"

* * *

Bart wasn't difficult to find. He was, however, hard to keep track of for any length of time. The first time, he ran right past the Ninja Storm rangers without a pause. They wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't run so close to them.

"I think that was him," Hunter said. "Should we go after him?"

"No," Cam said, shaking his head. "Watchtower said to trip him up, not pursue."

Bart ran past them again, this time pausing to look around.

"Impulse," Cam said. "We're here to help you. Please, talk to us."

"The only one helping me is Lex," Bart answered. "See ya around!"

He sped off again.

"Great," Cam muttered. "I guess we will have to fight him. Ready?"

"Ready," Hunter and Dustin answered.

"Ninja Storm! Ranger Form!" said Dustin.

"Samurai Storm! Ranger Form!" said Cam.

"Thunder Storm! Ranger Form!" said Hunter.

As they finished morphing, Bart passed through the area again. They ninja streaked after him for a short distance, and then stopped on a hill in a park because they had lost him.

"Watchtower's right," Cam said, shaking his head. "We can't chase him. He moves too quickly."

But as Bart sped through once more, Dustin leapt after him.

"He wasn't paying attention, was he?" Cam said, looking at Hunter.

"Nope," Hunter answered.

Bart had decided that letting Dustin chase him around in circles was a fun game. They were speeding around the park; Dustin trying to streak fast enough to catch Bart, except Bart was always just out of reach.

"So, how long should we let him chase Impulse before we do something about it?" Cam asked after a few minutes.

Both Ninja Storm rangers were standing and watching as their third teammate, Dustin, chased Bart.

"A little while longer," Hunter said. "This is entertaining."

"He's going to use up all of his power," said Cam.

"Probably," Hunter said, "but he's also wearing out Impulse."

_"Watchtower to Ninja Six," _Chloe said. _"What on earth is going on over there?"_

"Well, Ninja Three decided to disregard your instructions," Cam answered. "And we haven't yet determined the best way to step in."

_"Ninja Three!" _Chloe yelled. _"Stop running around in circles and do something productive. Like trapping Impulse!"_

Dustin, startled by the loud voice in his ear, stopped paying attention and ran straight into a tree. Falling backward, he de-morphed, having used most of his energy chasing Bart. Cam and Hunter ran down to help him. Sitting up, Dustin shook himself, putting a hand to his head.

"Where did that tree come from?" he said. "And why is Watchtower yelling at me?"

"Because you aren't listening," Cam said as he and Hunter pulled Dustin up.

Bart came speeding back and halted a ways away.

"What happened?" he taunted. "Couldn't keep up?"

"Nope," Hunter retorted, dropping into a fighting stance. "He ran into a tree."

"He did what?" Bart exclaimed in surprise.

"I ran into a tree," Dustin said, still rubbing his head. "But in my defense, it came out of nowhere."

Bart stared for a moment, and then he started laughing. Hunter, Cam, and Dustin looked at him in surprise. Bart just kept laughing.

"Do you think we broke him?" Dustin asked.

"I doubt Lex's hold is completely broken," Cam answered, studying Bart. "But maybe enough that we can catch him."

_"What's going on now?" _Chloe asked.

"Ninja Three ran into a tree and now Impulse can't stop laughing," Hunter answered.

_"Then get him while he's distracted!" _Chloe exclaimed.

"Oh, right," Hunter said.

Hunter and Cam ran for Bart while he was distracted. He wasn't paying attention because he was laughing too hard and didn't get a chance to run. The two ninjas tackled him to the ground and pinned him there.

"Let me go!" Bart yelled, no longer laughing. "You'll pay for this. Lex will destroy you!"

"Quick!" Cam said. "Get the tracker on him. Ninja Six to Space One! Impulse ready for pick-up."

_"Got him, Ninja Six," _Andros answered. _"Picking up now."_

Hunter and Cam leapt backward off of Bart as the transport locked on to him and he disappeared. They looked around. Dustin was still rubbing his head where he had hit it on the tree.

_"Watchtower to Ninja Six," _Chloe said. _"Prepare for transport. You're joining Justin in Reefside. Ninja Three and Ninja four will join the rest of Ninja Storm. All teams, second capture accomplished. Impulse is in possession."_

"Ready, Watchtower," Cam answered.

They disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

"Watchtower to Ninja Six," Chloe said, exasperated. "What on earth is going on over there?"

_"Well, Ninja Three decided to disregard your instructions," _Cam answered. _"And we haven't yet determined the best way to step in."_

"Ninja Three!"Chloe yelled. "Stop running around in circles and do something productive. Like trapping Impulse!"

On screen, Chloe watched Dustin bounce off of a tree and fall down, de-morphing.

"Great," she muttered. "Just what we need."

Sighing, Chloe turned away from the screen for a moment to stretch.

_"Watchtower!" _Green Arrow suddenly yelled in her ear. _"Dino Thunder returning to base!"_

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "What happened?"

Green Arrow didn't answer.

"I hope they're ok," Chloe muttered.

Chloe turned back to the computer. When she turned back, all three of the ninjas were just standing and talking. Frustrated, and now worried about Tommy and the others, Chloe called they ninjas again.

"What is going on now?" she demanded.

_"Ninja Three ran into a tree and now Impulse can't stop laughing,"_ Hunter answered.

"Then get him while he's distracted!" Chloe yelled.

_"Oh, right," _said Hunter.

Shaking her head, Chloe turned to Hayley.

"Green Arrow says they're on their way back," Chloe said.

"All of them?" asked Hayley.

"I don't know," said Chloe. "He just said Dino Thunder."

While they waited, Chloe turned back to her cameras.

"Red Two!" she exclaimed. "Keep Cyborg out of the electronics store!"

_"Working on it, Watchtower," _Rocky answered. _"But he's not that easy to stop."_

"He's going to be even harder to stop if he gets a hold of that stuff," Chloe said. "So be careful."

The elevator doors opened. Chloe and Hayley spun around, and Hayley leapt to her feet and hurried down the stairs. Oliver, his hood down and glasses off, and Jason walked out supporting the four teens. Conner was still out of it and Jason was practically carrying him. Ethan came in on his own, though he was still cradling his arm, and Kira and Trent were leaning on Oliver.

"Not again!" Hayley exclaimed. "And where's Tommy?"

She met them at the couches where the two men let the kids sit down.

"He's still out there," Oliver said grimly, heading back toward the door.

"Hurry, Oliver," Chloe called from upstairs. "I still don't have video and Tommy isn't answering."

"I'm on my way," he said, pulling up his hood as he walked into the elevator.

"Wait," Jason said heading after Oliver. "I'm coming with you."

"No, Jason," Green Arrow answered. "You don't have your powers anymore. If you go out there, you'll just get yourself and Tommy killed. He won't be able to focus on Clark if he's worrying about you."

"He's right," Hayley said as Jason paused. "Oliver will help Tommy as best he can. Right now we need to focus on the kids."

The elevator door closed, leaving Jason behind. He ran a hand over his head and started pacing. Hayley took a deep breath and sat down next to Conner.

"Conner," Hayley scolded gently. "What did I tell you about dying?"

"Not dead," he mumbled. "Tired."

"No sleeping," Jason said, putting a hand on Conner's shoulder. "You probably have a concussion."

"K…" Conner answered.

"I'm sorry, Hayley," Kira said wearily. "But I may have exposed Conner. I used his name. But I couldn't think of a faster way to get his attention…"

"It'll be fine, Kira," Hayley answered. "I'll make sure that no digital evidence remains. No one will ever have proof."

"Thanks, Hayley," Kira said with a small smile, leaning against Trent's shoulder.

"Alright," Hayley said, standing up. "No one go to sleep. I'm going to call Andros and have you five transported to the Astro Megaship. And no arguing, Jason."

Hurrying back up the stairs, Hayley rejoined Chloe and Robin at the computer.

"Watchtower to Ninja Six," Chloe was saying. "Prepare for transport. You're joining Justin in Reefside. Ninja Three and Ninja Four will join the rest of Ninja Storm. All teams, second capture accomplished. Impulse is in possession."

"Any word from Tommy?" Hayley asked.

Chloe didn't answer right away because she was calling Rocky.

"Red Two, Ninja Six is joining Turbo Blue at the lab," Chloe said. "Hopefully he can help slow down Cyborg. And Ninja One, your teammates are joining you."

She turned away from the computer for a moment.

"No," she said. "But I'm going to try again."

Hayley nodded and moved over to call Andros while Chloe tried Tommy again.

"Watchtower to Red Leader," Chloe said. "Red Leader please respond."

She paused, waiting for a response. But there was nothing. Hayley leaned closer to Chloe.

"If you die," she half-yelled into the headset, "I'm going to kill you!"

Chloe and Robin both stared at Hayley in surprise.

_"I don't have time for this right now!"_ Tommy yelled back after a brief pause.

"He's alive," Hayley said, going back to her call with Andros.

Andros was looking at Hayley from the video screen, a little surprised by the shouting.

"Anyways," Hayley said. "The kids need attention right away."

"Don't worry," Andros said. "I'll have D.E.C.A. transport them right away."

"Thank you," Hayley said, signing off the video chat.

A few moments later there was a flash of light from downstairs as D.E.C.A. transported the kids. Jason came up the stairs and joined them at the computers.

"Shouldn't you be gone?" Chloe asked.

"I'll be fine," Jason said.

Hayley shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You're just as stubborn as Tommy is," she said.

* * *

"Has there been any progress?" Lex demanded, storming into the computer lab.

His techs were all working frantically to keep track of all of the rogue heroes under his command. After the power rangers had appeared to counter the attacks, Lex had ordered them to hack their communications.

"I think we have it, sir," one of them answered.

"Then patch me in," Lex ordered, putting on an earpiece.

The feed was silent for a moment, then voices started coming through.

_"Watchtower to Red Leader. Red Leader please respond," _a woman said.

"Track the signals!" Lex snapped. "She's talking to the ranger in charge and I want to know where he is."

"Yes, sir," came the answer.

Lex heard a muffled shout that he couldn't understand and then there was another pause.

_"I don't have time for this right now!" _a man snapped back after a moment.

"Did you get him?" Lex asked.

"Yes, sir," one of the techs answered. "He's in Metropolis. In the same location as the alien."

"What?" Lex exclaimed. "Get me his comm. Now!"

The tech scrambled to connect Lex to Clark.

"I want you to bring me Red Leader," Lex snapped the minute he had Clark's line. "You have him right in front of you. Take him down and bring him to me. If he goes down, the rest of the rangers will follow him and our way will be clear."

_"I understand," _Clark answered.

Lex turned to head for the door. Before he left, he paused.

"Monitor the ranger's communication," he said, "and keep me updated."

He continued out the door, leaving the techs to scramble again.


	14. Making Progress

"_All teams, second capture accomplished. Impulse is in possession," _Chloe said over the radio.

Tommy hit the ground hard and de-morphed. With the teens and Jason gone, keeping Clark at bay had become nearly impossible. They hadn't been gone long, but Tommy was taking a beating. Groaning, he struggled to get to his feet as Clark stalked toward him.

_"Watchtower to Red Leader," _Chloe said. _"Red Leader please respond."_

Tommy didn't answer, focusing on Clark.

"Clark, you don't have to do this," Tommy said. "I'm your friend. Remember? I helped you rescue Lois."

"I told you," Clark snarled. "I'm not going to believe your lies. Lex already told me about everything. You and your friends had me and the others brainwashed!"

Clark grabbed Tommy and threw him across the street. Tommy slammed into the ground and slid backward. Dazed, he fumbled for his next morpher. Clark moved steadily toward him, drawing out the fight instead of finishing it. Using a nearby car, Tommy pulled himself to his feet and stumbled backward to lean against a wall as he prepared for Clark to hit again. But Clark froze in the middle of the street like he was listening to something. Tommy took advantage of the freeze.

"Zeo Ranger Five, Red!" Tommy called.

Standing against the wall, panting and trying to catch his breath, Tommy waited for Clark to make a move.

"Clark?" he said. "Clark, please listen to me. You've got to snap out of it."

But another voice crackled through the radio.

_"If you die I'm going to kill you!" Hayley yelled._

Tommy groaned.

"I don't have time for this!" he responded. "Clark, please. Just listen to me."

"Understood," Clark said before focusing on Tommy again.

"You're lucky, ranger," Clark said. "Lex wants you, which means you get to live. For now."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tommy said.

"We'll see about that," said Clark with a smirk, stalking toward Tommy again.

* * *

When Cyborg arrived, Rocky, Adam, and Zach immediately morphed before rushing out to intercept him.

"Shift into Turbo!" Adam called. "Desert Thunder Turbo Power!"

"Zeo Ranger Four, Blue!" said Rocky.

"It's Morphin' Time!" called Zach. "Mastodon!"

Cyborg didn't pause before attacking. He slammed into Rocky, who went flying backward, and kept going for a few paces before turning around to face them.

"Wow," Rocky said, climbing back to his feet. "He really packs a punch."

"Well, Watchtower didn't say this was going to be easy," Adam said.

Cyborg charged again, but this time the three rangers were more prepared. They fought back hard, trying to keep Cyborg from over-powering them. It didn't help that he kept plugging in to the various electronic devices on the street and in nearby store windows to create weapons to use against them. When Adam kicked Cyborg threw a phone store window, cell phones started flying out the window, exploding as they made contact with hard surfaces. While they were distracted by the phones, Cyborg made for the electronics store.

_"Red Two!"_ Chloe said to Rocky._ "Keep Cyborg out of the electronics store!"_

"Working on it, Watchtower," Rocky answered. "But he's not that easy to stop."

_ "He's going to be even harder to stop if he gets a hold of that stuff,"_ Chloe said. _"So be careful."_

Zach charged, slamming into Cyborg and knocking him off course and away from the electronics store.

"Let's take this down the street a ways," he said.

He continued to fight with Cyborg, keeping him from moving forward and pushing him back a little at a time.

* * *

Even though they were keeping a close eye out, Black Canary still managed to get a jump on Kat, Tanya, and Aisha. Having heard that the other rogue heroes had appeared, the three had left the café to search the area for Black Canary, who didn't show up right away. She attacked the three of them as they were searching an alley. Tanya took a kick and went stumbling backward, falling to the ground. But before Black Canary could make another move, Kat and Aisha jumped in. They attacked her together and forced her back. Black Canary took a deep breath and all three women jumped and rolled out of the way as she released a sonic scream. They all came out of the roll and leapt to their feet.

"Shift into Turbo!" Kat and Tanya called.

"Dune Star Turbo Power!" Tanya said.

"Wind Chaser Turbo Power!" said Kat.

"Ninja Ranger Power Now!" called Aisha. "Yellow Ranger Power!"

"I could've guessed that you three would be power rangers," Black Canary said. "Why else would you be sneaking around back alleys in the middle of the day?"

"You were sneaking too," Kat said. "What does that say about you?"

"I have a mission," Black Canary said. "And getting rid of you is now part of it."

"Bring it on," Aisha said.

Black Canary let out another scream, followed immediately by an attack. Kat, Tanya, and Aisha fought back. With their powers, they were physically stronger than Black Canary. But she was well-trained, and each time they though she was down, she'd let out a scream to drive them to their knees before hitting them again.

"We've got to find a way to shut her up," Tanya said.

"Agreed," said Kat.

* * *

"Look out Black One!" Adam yelled to Zach.

They had managed to push Cyborg back, but even with Justin monitoring all computer and electric sources in the area, they weren't able to completely stop Cyborg. Justin couldn't keep up with him online. Cyborg had just gotten a hold of an ATM. Ripping it out of the wall, he quickly reprogrammed it and threw it, straight at Zach. He tried to dodge, but the resulting explosion caught Zach and slammed him into a wall. He bounced off, hitting his head and de-morphing, before landing, unmoving, on the sidewalk. Cyborg turned to face the other two.

"One down, two to go," he said.

"Space One, Black One needs pick-up now!" Rocky yelled into the communicator.

Without waiting for a response from Andros, Rocky and Adam charged him. They landed a few hits each, but they were wearing down. Cyborg delivered a kick straight to Rocky's chest, slamming him into a car. Spinning around, he grabbed Adam and threw him threw a nearby window. Both de-morphed, but struggled back to their feet and grabbed their next morpher. A bright flash of light indicated that Andros had transported Zach off of the battlefield.

"Zeo Ranger Three, Green!" Adam said.

"Ninja Ranger Power Now!" said Rocky. "Red Ranger Power!"

With the new burst of energy, they charged back into the fight.

_"Ninja Six is joining Turbo Blue at the lab," _Chloe said. _"Hopefully he can help slow down Cyborg."_

"Hopefully," Adam answered, ducking as a car went flying over his head.

* * *

Green Arrow took one of the Dino Thunder cycles to get back to Tommy as quickly as possible. He heard Chloe and Hayley calling for Tommy over the radio and let out a sigh of relief when he finally answered. Pulling up in the same alley as before, Green Arrow ran for a vantage point, pulling his bow out and loading it as he ran. Looking down at the street, he saw Clark stalking toward Tommy, who was breathing hard.

"Watchtower, I've got Red Leader in my sight," Green Arrow said. "But we're going to need back up soon."

_"I'll send someone as soon as I can," _Chloe answered. _"But Lightspeed Rescue is helping Ninja Storm right now. Aquaman is causing a major problem. And the Space Rangers can't leave the rogue heroes they have unattended, or the Dino Thunder rangers."_

"Just hurry," Green Arrow said. "I'll do my best, but I don't have a lot of Kryptonite darts left."

* * *

"Wild Force!" Chloe yelled. "Stop trying to take on Hawkman head on! Use strategy, not brute force because he's going to beat you every time!"

Hayley shook her head, concentrating on the screen in front of her. She had already deleted any digital evidence of Kira's slip up and now she was back to making sure nothing else got compromised.

"Someone hacked the communications," Hayley said. "I'm pretty sure it was Lex. He's blocked out now though."

"Good," Chloe answered. "Green Arrow is back with Tommy now."

Hayley nodded, but didn't answer.

_"Watchtower, I've got Red Leader in my sight,"_ Green Arrow said. _"But we're going to need back up soon."_

"I'll send someone as soon as I can," Chloe said, answering Green Arrow. "But Lightspeed Rescue is helping Ninja Storm right now. Aquaman is causing a major problem. And the Space Rangers can't leave the rogue heroes they have unattended, or the Dino Thunder rangers."

Taking a deep breath, Chloe contacted Lightspeed Rescue again.

"How is containment going Lightspeed One?" she asked.

_"As best as it can," _Carter answered. _"Aquaman is fast."_

"Just get him out of the water," Chloe said. "As soon as he is down, I need you to take your team to help Wild Force. They're really taking a beating from Hawkman and they aren't listening to me."

_"Affirmative," _Carter answered. _"He's out of the water now, but he's not dried up. I think we're good to go though, because two more Ninja Storm members just showed up. One still morphed." _

"Then go help Wild Force," she said. "And be ready to extract Red Leader, he's fighting alone."

_"Understood, Watchtower," _Carter said.


	15. Dog-Pile!

Aquaman nearly destroyed the dock the Ninja Storm team was sitting on when he arrived. Giant waves started crashing and whirlpools formed as he sped back and forth along the beach. The ninjas leapt to their feet, ready for action.

"Ninja Storm! Ranger Form!" Shane and Tori called.

"Thunder Storm! Ranger Form!" said Blake.

Tori didn't hesitate, but leapt straight into the water after Aquaman. But she couldn't catch him alone. Breathing hard, she returned to the other two who had cleared the beach of the few civilians.

"He's too fast," Tori said. "Even with my powers I'll never catch him while he's in the water."

"Then let's remove him," Shane said.

But they couldn't pin him down. Tori tried creating waves to throw him out of the water, but he just leapt out of them and back into the ocean. As they stood debating on what to do next, Aquaman leapt out of the water in a surprise attack. He was super-strong, and the rangers found themselves hard-pressed to keep up with him. They teamed up on him, but Aquaman knocked all three of them to the ground and dived back into the water.

"Great," Shane muttered, climbing back to his feet. "We have to encourage him to stay out of the water."

They played a back and forth game with Aquaman for a while, fighting when he came out of the water and spending the rest of the time trying to encourage him to come out. But they couldn't get him to stay out.

_"And Ninja One," _Chloe said. _"Your teammates are joining you."_

Dustin and Hunter appeared on the beach nearby. He wasn't morphed anymore, but Dustin had insisted on helping.

"How's it going?" Hunter asked.

"Not good," Shane answered.

_"Lightspeed One to Ninja One," _Carter said from the submarine. _"We're here and ready to help."_

"Great!" Shane said. "If you can help us track him, I think I have an idea."

* * *

Yet another scream from Black Canary drove Tanya, Kat, and Aisha to their knees, forcibly de-morphing all three of them. Black Canary stopped screaming and started moving toward them. Pulling out their next morphers, the women forced themselves to their feet.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Aisha called. "Saber Tooth Tiger!"

"Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow!" said Tanya.

"Zeo Ranger One, Pink!" said Kat.

Not waiting for Black Canary to reach them, they charged again. Ducking and rolling out of the way, they dodged another scream. They split up, attacking her from different sides so that she couldn't take them all down at once with her sonic scream. But Black Canary kept moving in a blur of motion, countering most of the rangers' attacks. Then Aisha got in a good kick, sending Black Canary into a wall. Aisha chased after her to follow up the attack and take Black Canary down for good, but Black Canary recovered and let out a shrill scream just as Aisha reached her. Aisha dropped to the ground, holding her head and Black Canary leapt up and spun around in a kick, sending Aisha flying across the alley and into a wall. She de-morphed, but stayed sitting, still holding her head.

"Our turn!" Kat said, coming from behind Black Canary.

Tanya attacked from the other side and the two rangers pushed the rogue hero away from Aisha. They fought hard for a few more minutes, and then Kat took a kick to the head. She dropped to the ground, de-morphing. She didn't move for a few moments, stunned by the hit, while Tanya kept fighting. But Kat shook it off and climbed slowly to her feet, pulling out her last morpher.

"Ninja Ranger Power Now!" Kat called. "Pink Ranger Power!"

Kat rejoined the fight as Tanya went down, caught in Black Canary's scream. She de-morphed, clutching her ears. Kat leapt forward and kicked Black Canary away. Tanya recovered enough to move out of the way. She joined Aisha.

"Yellow Two to Watchtower," Aisha said. "Pink Two is fighting Black Canary alone."

There was a momentary pause. Kat kept fighting while Tanya called Andros.

"Yellow Three to Space One," Tanya said. "Yellow Two and Yellow Three requesting pick-up."

_"Affirmative, Yellow Three," _Andros answered.

_"Sending Pink One to join you, Pink Two" _Chloe said right before Aisha and Tanya were teleported out.

* * *

Chloe was barely done talking to Lightspeed when Aisha called her.

_"Yellow Two to Watchtower,"_ Aisha said. _"Pink Two is fighting Black Canary alone."_

"Great," Chloe muttered. "And I don't have—wait. Trini and Kim."

Not responding to Aisha right away, Chloe called the two rangers in Gotham.

"Watchtower to Pink One and Yellow One," Chloe said. "Pink Two needs help with Black Canary. I need one of you to join her."

There was a pause. Chloe assumed the two women were deciding who would go.

_"Pink One, ready for transport," _Kim finally said.

"Space One," Chloe said. "Please transport Pink One to Pink Two's location. Sending Pink One to join you, Pink Two."

Kat didn't answer, but Chloe could see her fighting on the screen.

_"Affirmative, Watchtower," _Andros answered. _"And Yellow Two and Yellow Three have been extracted."_

"Thank you," Chloe said.

* * *

There was a second flash of light and Kim, already morphed, immediately jumped into the fight with Black Canary. She was finally starting to slow down, tiring from the constant fight and use of her ability. Slowly continuing to wear her down, Kim and Kat pushed to keep going. But Kat took another hard hit and de-morphed, stumbling and falling to the ground. Black Canary let out a scream, knocking Kim to her knees, and tried to escape. But Kim launched herself up and landed a punch to Black Canary's jaw. Black Canary went flying backward and landed hard against a wall. She didn't get up. Having used up all of her energy in that one last burst, Kim de-morphed.

"Black Canary is down and ready for pick-up," Kim said, clipping a tracker on Black Canary. "Pink One and Pink Two ready for transport as well."

_"Thank goodness," _Chloe said. _"Watchtower to all teams, third capture accomplished. Black Canary is in possession."_

* * *

Tommy hit the ground, de-morphing for the third time. Breathing hard, he struggled back to his feet. Each time it was taking him longer to get back up. Since he got back, Green Arrow was doing his best to help. But he couldn't get directly involved in the fight without getting himself killed. So far he had shot two more of his Kryptonite darts. This time they had struck Clark in the arm, stopping him for a moment and giving Tommy time to recover. As Tommy pulled out his next morpher, another dart struck Clark in the shoulder.

"Aaahhh!" Clark yelled in pain, ripping it out and throwing it away.

Distracted for a moment, and extremely angry, Clark charged in the direction the dart had come from. Tommy hoped Green Arrow had already moved as the building Clark ran into started to collapse.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said. _"third capture accomplished. Black Canary is in possession."_

Tommy took a deep breath and finished getting to his feet. They had three of the heroes, but still no word from Batman. And Clark wasn't going down anytime soon.

"Ninja Ranger Power Now!" Tommy called as Clark emerged from the remains of the building. "White Ranger Power!"

As with each morph, a burst of energy accompanied the return of the powers. But each time, the energy boost lasted less time. Tommy used his ninjetti powers to zip out of the way as Clark ran at him full speed, still determined to capture him. As Clark charged again, Tommy dove for his legs, tripping Clark and sending him careening off into another building. Tommy didn't get up for a moment, dazed from the collision. He heard Clark coming back toward him and rolled over, finding one of Green Arrow's darts as he pushed himself up. Tommy turned around just in time, jabbing Clark in the leg with the dart and speeding away to give himself some space. Clark ripped the dart out of his leg and threw it.

"You've got to stop, Clark," Tommy said, panting. "Can't you see Lex is using you? He's not a good person. Remember your friends, Clark. We all want you back."

"I'm getting really sick of you," Clark snarled. "You are coming with me one way or another."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Clark," Tommy said. "Unless it's home to the people you really belong with."

Clark charged him again, Tommy dodging out of the way.

* * *

"_Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said. _"Third capture accomplished. Black Canary is in possession."_

"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed in excitement. "How many does that leave?"

"Focus here, Ninja Three!" Shane yelled. "We need you to concentrate."

The Ninja Storm team, with the help of Lightspeed Rescue, had implemented Shane's plan. With Lightspeed tracking Aquaman's quick movements, they had been able to coordinate an attack. When Carter had given the word, Shane and Tori had worked together to create a water funnel. It had worked, catching Aquaman in a powerful vortex that had dumped him on land. Once he was out of the water, Lightspeed Rescue had taken off to help Wild Force. Combining their abilities, Tori, Dustin, and Shane were keeping Aquaman from returning to the water while Blake and Hunter fought with him directly to wear him down.

"Sorry," Dustin said, causing a small earthquake to knock Aquaman off of his feet.

Blake and Hunter took advantage of the downed hero and attacked again. But, still hydrated, Aquaman had his super-strength and threw them both off. Their powers finally gave out and they both de-morphed. But they jumped up to continue the fight anyways, planning to use their ninja training.

"Out of the way!" Shane yelled.

Blake and Hunter spun around to see a tornado coming straight at them. They leapt out of the way and the funnel caught Aquaman. While Shane held Aquaman inside the wind vortex, Tori used her water affinity to pull all the moisture from inside of the funnel, effectively drying off Aquaman. Shane let him down to the ground where he lay, stunned and weak.

"Quick!" Shane said. "Hold him down! Ninja One to Watchtower. We have Aquaman!"

"Dog-pile!" Dustin yelled, running to tackle Aquaman.

Hunter and Blake followed suit while Tori just stood, shaking her head. The last effort had forced her and Shane to de-morph as well.

"Wouldn't it be considered a ninja pile?" Shane asked, running and joining the other three.

"Boys," Tori muttered, shaking her head.

_"Would someone please put a tracker on him?" _Chloe yelled at them before making an announcement. _"All teams, fourth capture accomplished. Aquaman is in our possession."_

Striding over to where Aquaman was pinned, Tori clipped a tracker on them.

"Ready for pick-up, Space One," she said, still glaring at the boys.

In a flash of light the whole group disappeared.


	16. Cyborg

_Yay we're slowly getting though the battle! Don't worry there is a bit more after the battle i hate when they just say "We WIN!" and then end it. So please let us know what you think of it is there anything we could change, do better? We both love reading the reviews so please comment!_

_ON WITH THE SHOW!_

* * *

"That's it," Chloe snapped, spinning around in her chair. "Jason, you are driving me nuts with the pacing!"

Jason stopped to look at Chloe. Hayley turned around too, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm sorry," Jason said, running a hand through his hair. "I just feel so useless here. And I can't calm down enough to sit still."

"Why don't you go check in with Trini?" Chloe suggested. "She's alone in Gotham right now. You can make sure she's alright."

Jason didn't answer right away, seeming conflicted.

"Fine," he finally relented. "But you have to keep me updated on Tommy."

"Don't worry," said Hayley. "We will. Now get out of here."

"Red One to Space One," Jason said into his communicator. "Requesting transport to Gotham."

In a flash of light, Jason disappeared. Chloe let out a sigh.

"Finally," she muttered, turning back to the computer.

"_Ninja One to Watchtower," _Shane suddenly yelled. _"We have Aquaman!"_

"Great," Chloe said, turning to look at the screen.

She watched as Dustin, then Hunter and Blake, and then finally Shane all piled on top of the downed Hero.

"What are they doing?" Chloe said.

"Dog pile!" Robin answered. "Looks like fun. Oh. Chloe?"

"I'm going to kill them," Chloe said, ignoring Robin. "All of them. Except Tori."

"You could kill them and they'd still act like that," Hayley said. "They're great teachers when they need to be, well, Shane, Tori, Cam, and Hunter are… Blake doesn't teach. And Dustin… Dustin is special. But the rest of the time they can be really out there."

They still hadn't moved to transport Aquaman.

"Chloe," Robin said again.

She still didn't answer him.

"Would someone please put a tracker on him?" Chloe snapped at the Ninja Storm team. "All teams, fourth capture accomplished. Aquaman is in our possession."

On screen she saw Tori walk over and clip a tracker on Aquaman. The whole group disappeared as Andros and D.E.C.A. transported them.

"Hey Chloe!" Robin exclaimed, looking at the screen. "Wasn't that the building Oliver was on?"

Chloe whipped around to look at the screen. While she had been dealing with Ninja Storm, Clark had collapsed an entire building.

"Yes," she said, paling. "That's where I saw him last."

Chloe frantically scanned the area with the last camera she had, but there was no sign of Green Arrow.

"Watchtower to Green Arrow," she said. "Report, Green Arrow!"

* * *

Green Arrow groaned, trying to get to his feet. He had barely made it off of the building in time. The grappling arrow hadn't quite made it to the intended destination, however, and as a result Green Arrow had fallen most of the way instead of swinging to safety. Which meant he had been very close to the collapsing building, and now a heavy piece of concrete was pinning him to the ground.

"_Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said as he struggled to free himself. _"Third capture accomplished. Black Canary is in possession."_

Unable to move the chunk of building on his own, Green Arrow laid back down on the pavement for a moment. Making a decision, he pulled out an exploding arrow. Grabbing his bow, which had thankfully stayed with him, Green Arrow emptied some of the explosive material from the tip of the arrow and readied the bow. Leaning back, he shot the arrow straight up so that it would come down and land on the concrete.

"I hope this works," he muttered, turning to shield his face from flying rubble.

The arrow landed in right on the concrete and exploded, shattering the piece of wall into small pieces. Green Arrow winced as he was pelted by pieces of wall. His leg didn't feel to great either. He pulled himself to his feet.

_"All teams, fourth capture accomplished. Aquaman is in our possession," _Chloe said.

"Guess we're making some progress," Green Arrow said as he pulled himself to his feet.

Leaning against a nearby wall, he waited a moment before putting weight on the injured leg. Green Arrow took half a step forward on it, grimacing at the pain. But he could still use the leg, so he started moving back toward the street where he could hear Tommy fighting with Clark.

_"Watchtower to Green Arrow,"_ Chloe suddenly said. _"Report, Green Arrow!"_

"I'm guessing you saw the building fall down," Green Arrow answered. "Don't worry, I'm still alive. Got to get back and help Red Leader. Green Arrow out."

Still limping, Green Arrow rushed to help Tommy.

* * *

"What do you mean you lost the connection?" Lex screamed at the technician. "I want to know what they're doing. Now!"

The tech stammered an apology and started typing faster, trying to hack back into Watchtower's communications network. Storming out of the room, Lex returned to the privacy of his office.

"Clark," he snapped over the comm. "I need you to bring me Red Leader. Now! It can't wait any longer. Get him to me and hurry and help the others. The enemy has already captured four of your teammates."

_"I'll stop them from taking anyone else," _Clark answered. _"And I will get the others back. One way or another."_

"Then quit toying with the ranger and bring him to me," Lex ordered. "I need him to complete our mission."

_"Right," _Clark answered.

Lex leaned back in his chair, glaring around the room.

"I'm going to make those rangers pay for their interference," Lex fumed. "Starting with their leader."

* * *

"What is this guy's fascination with exploding electronics?" Rocky asked, dodging yet another barrage from Cyborg.

"At least he's slowed down," Adam said, ducking under a car as it went flying down the street. "Justin and Cam have locked things down fairly well."

With both of them working from the Reefside lab, Justin and Cam had been able to shut down programs and connections, keeping Cyborg from using as many electronics against Adam and Rocky. But he was still a tough opponent, and he was wearing them down. As they attacked him together, Cyborg grabbed Adam and slammed him down into the ground, pinning him there and forcing Adam to de-morph again. Adam struggled to get away, but he couldn't make Cyborg let go and the rogue hero was starting to cut off Adam's air supply.

"Let him go!" Rocky yelled, using his remaining power to slam into Cyborg and knock him out of the way.

Rocky de-morphed as Cyborg slammed into a power line pole. The pole snapped, falling and landing in the street, wires flailing. Adam scrambled to his feet, rubbing his throat. Cyborg climbed to his feet, glaring at the pair.

_"Red Two and Black Two, you guys need to take Cyborg down now," _Chloe said. _"Red Leader is alone. He needs help."_

"Working on it, Watchtower," Rocky said. "Turbo Blue, Ninja Six. Any ideas on how to take down the human computer? Because what we're doing isn't working."

_"We tried hacking his system already," _Cam answered. _"But we can't get in."_

_ "Try shorting him out," _Justin added. _"Power overload may shut him down long enough to contain him."_

"With what?" Adam asked.

"Got it!" said Rocky.

Without hesitation, Rocky ran for the down power line. Dodging around the flailing wires, he grabbed one. Before Cyborg could react, Rocky leapt forward and jabbed the end of the wire into Cyborg's side. Cyborg jerked as the electricity ran through his body, and then he collapsed to the ground.

"Yes!" Rocky exclaimed, punching the air. "Cyborg down!"

_"Ok," _Justin said. _"I know I said to short him out, but I think grabbing a downed power line wire while unmorphed was probably not the smartest decision you've ever made…"_

_ "YOU DID WHAT?" _Aisha suddenly yelled over the radio, interrupting Justin.

"Oh no," Rocky groaned as Adam started laughing.

_"You are in so much trouble when you get back here," _she continued. _"You're supposed to be a grown man. A grown man should know better than to touch downed power lines. I don't care that you have super abilities. You could have gotten yourself killed and where would that have left me? I'm not going to let this go—"_

_"Yellow Two," _Chloe interrupted. _"Can you please deliver the rest of the lecture in person? I need the comm system right now…"_

_ "Oh," _Aisha said. _"Girl, I'm so sorry. Of course. I can wait."_

Adam was laughing even harder. Grumbling, Rocky attached the tracker to Cyborg.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said. _"Fifth capture accomplished. Cyborg is in our possession. Red Two and Black Two, I'm sending you to help Red Leader."_

_ "No, Watchtower," _Tommy interrupted. _"Don't worry about me. We have to make sure all of the others are caught first. Then we can focus our remaining forces on Boyscout."_

_ "Red Leader," _Chloe started to say.

_"Send them after Martian Man Hunter," _Tommy interrupted again. _"He's the last one. Get him and then we can worry about Boyscout."_

_ "Alright," _Chloe said reluctantly. _"Red Two and Black Two, prepare for transport. You're joining Time Force." _


	17. Hawkman is mad!

Chloe held her breath, still waiting for Green Arrow to answer.

_"I'm guessing you saw the building fall down,"_ Green Arrow finally said. _"Don't worry, I'm still alive. Got to get back and help Red Leader. Green Arrow out."_

Letting out the breath she leaned back in her chair in relief.

"Red Two and Black Two, you guys need to take Cyborg down now," Chloe said after a moment. "Red Leader is alone. He needs help."

Shaking her head, Chloe rubbed a hand across her face.

"I'm going to kill him later," Chloe muttered.

Hayley smiled, knowing immediately who she was talking about.

"I know the feeling," she said. "And I thought I had finally gotten a break for a while."

"I'm sorry for pulling you back into it," Chloe said.

"Don't apologize," Hayley said, shaking her head. "We're friends. And on top of that, it was the right thing to do. The rangers knew what they were getting into."

"I know…" Chloe said. "But all of this could have been avoided if I could just get my team to function as a team."

"They'll get there," Hayley said. "I mean, look at the rangers. We can't even get a reunion together without causing havoc, but the minute they hit the field they're all business."

"And so is the JLA," Chloe said. "Most of the time."

Checking on Rocky and Adam's progress, she saw Cyborg go down.

"Yes!" she heard Rocky yell. "Cyborg down!"

_"Ok," _Justin said to Rocky. _"I know I said to short him out, but I think grabbing a downed power line wire while unmorphed was probably not the smartest decision you've ever made…"_

_ "YOU DID WHAT?" _Aisha suddenly yelled over the radio, interrupting Justin.

Chloe heard Rocky mutter something she didn't quite catch, and then Aisha started lecturing him over the radio. She let it go for a moment and then, when it wasn't stopping, decided she needed to interrupt.

"Yellow Two," Chloe interrupted. "Can you please deliver the rest of the lecture in person? I need the comm system right now…"

_ "Oh," _Aisha said. _"Girl, I'm so sorry. Of course. I can wait."_

"Thank you," Chloe said.

But before she could call out the capture, someone else grabbed her attention.

_"Time Force One to Watchtower,"_ said Wes. _"Any suggestions on how to corner Martian Man Hunter? We've been chasing him for hours."_

"Just keep trying to flush him out," Chloe said. "Remember, he is afraid of fire. I'll try and send back up when I can. Red Leader needs more help right now."

"Chloe?" Robin said, swinging down from his spot in the rafters.

"Watchtower to all teams," Chloe said. "Fifth capture accomplished. Cyborg is in our possession. Red Two and Black Two, I'm sending you to help Red Leader."

_"No, Watchtower,"_ Tommy interrupted. _"Don't worry about me. We have to make sure all of the others are caught first. Then we can focus our remaining forces on Boyscout."_

"Red Leader," Chloe started to say.

_"Send them after Martian Man Hunter,"_ Tommy interrupted again. _"They need help catching him. Get him and Hawkman then we can worry about Boyscout."_

"Alright," Chloe said reluctantly. "Red Two and Black Two, prepare for transport. You're joining Time Force."

"Chloe," Robin said again.

But Chloe didn't answer him again. One of the computer screens had caught her attention.

* * *

_"Wild Force!" _she yelled. _"You're going to get yourselves killed!"_

After catching Star Girl, the Wild Force team realized they had lost track of Hawkman.

"He can't have gone too far," Cole said. "Spread out and find him."

Splitting into pairs, the team started searching the area. But none of them were looking up. Hawkman attacked suddenly, diving down on Max and Danny. Both of them went flying with the sudden impact.

"Are you guys ok?" Alyssa asked as the rest of the team ran over.

"We're fine," Danny said as they got to their feet.

"_All teams, second capture accomplished. Impulse is in possession," _Chloe said as Wild Force watched for Hawkman.

He had flown upward again. Looking up, they could see him circling.

"Get ready," said Cole.

The team took defensive stances, waiting for Hawkman to dive again. When he did, they tried attacking him. But he just hit them out of the way with his mace, scattering the team. They all determinedly climbed back to their feet, ready to try again.

_"Wild Force!"_ Chloe yelled over the radio. _"Stop trying to take on Hawkman head on! Use strategy, not brute force because he's going to beat you every time!"_

"Easier said than done," Merrick said.

"Yeah," Max said. "How do we get him down here?"

Before they could plan anything else, Hawkman attacked again. This time he didn't immediately fly back out of reach. He stayed and fought, slamming his mace into any of the rangers who didn't move quickly enough. Hawkman was hitting them hard. And he kept hitting them

"Get his mace!" Cole finally yelled.

Hawkman struck him in the chest, sending him flying backward. Cole groaned, struggling to get back up. Smashing through the rest of the team, Hawkman flew up again, circling for another attack.

"Really not a fan of him," Max groaned.

_"Watchtower to all teams, third capture accomplished. Black Canary is in possession."_

The rangers kept fighting, trying to keep Hawkman down at ground level. But even when he was close they couldn't get close enough to take him down.

"Alright guys," Taylor said when Hawkman flew out of reach again. "We've got to make a plan. This free-for-all isn't working."

They were all breathing hard and they were beat up and dirty from hitting the ground.

_"All teams, fourth capture accomplished. Aquaman is in our possession," _Chloe announced.

"I think he broke something," Max said, wincing as he put a hand to his rib cage.

"Focus, Max," Taylor said. "We need to pin him down and take his mace. If we can get that, we stand a better change."

"So what do you suggest?" Cole asked, watching Hawkman circle. "Because he's coming back."

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe before anyone answered him. _"Fifth capture accomplished. Cyborg is in our possession."_

"Start to scatter when he gets close," Taylor said, "then before he can chase after anyone all of us turn on him. If we can take his mace away, he'll be easier to stop."

"Now or never!" Cole said. "Here he comes again."

Hawkman dived and the rangers moved like they were going to run. He straightened out of the dive and sped toward Cole. The whole team turned and attacked together. As Hawkman swung his mace backward, Max jumped on his arm and grabbed the mace. Hawkman immediately flew upward, trying to shake off Max.

_"Wild Force!" _Chloe yelled. _"You're going to get yourselves killed!"_

The blue Wild Force ranger held on for several moments as Hawkman flew higher, but as they climbed the rogue hero reached over with his free hand and ripped Max off of his arm. Hawkman held him for a moment and then let go. Max fell to the ground, landing hard and de-morphing. He tried to get up, but let out a yell of pain when he put pressure on his left leg, dropping back to the ground.

"Max!" Alyssa yelled, running over to him.

But Hawkman had dived down after Max to follow up with an attack and Alyssa got caught by the hit instead. She went flying backward and hit a wall. Alyssa slumped to the ground, de-morphing. The other four charged Hawkman, but he moved before they could reach him. Circling around, he came right back for another pass at the rangers and sent them all flying again as he smashed into them. They all struggled to get back to their feet before he came back again, but they couldn't move fast enough and Hawkman hit them again.

"Keep going," Cole said, climbing to his feet as best he could.

Taylor, Danny, and Merrick followed him, but they were all in rough shape. They tried fighting back as Hawkman swept past again, but they didn't have the power. Hawkman smashed into the four of them, throwing them back and forcing them all to de-morph.

"We've got to keep going," Cole said, staggering to his feet despite not having powers anymore.

Hawkman circled again to attack, but something else caught his attention.

"Hawkman!" someone yelled from the other side of the street. "Over here!"

The Wild Force team looked over to see Carter from Lightspeed Rescue. He was already morphed and ready to fight.


	18. One power left

Tommy paused for a moment, trying to catch his breath while Clark was regrouping. Clark had just smashed through another wall. With each failed attempt to capture Tommy, Clark was getting more and more frustrated. He wasn't thinking clearly anymore, just charging in without thinking. Tommy was trying to use that to his advantage. Especially because the beating was really starting to slow him down. It wasn't like fighting against Tyrannodrones or Putties. They were nothing compared to Clark, and that meant the hurt was that much worse.

_"All teams, fourth capture accomplished. Aquaman is in our possession," _Chloe said.

"Only a few more to go," Tommy muttered.

Clark charged him again. Tommy tried to summon the energy to speed out of the way, but he couldn't move quickly enough. Angry and frustrated, Clark grabbed him and threw him across the street straight into a wall. Tommy slid down the wall, de-morphing. Unable to get up right away, he prepared for a follow up assault. None came. Looking up, he saw Clark frozen in the street again.

"Tommy!" Green Arrow said, coming up next to him. "Let's go. You need to get out of here."

"I can't," Tommy answered, taking the hand Green Arrow offered. "Someone has to keep Clark busy. The moment I leave this fight, he goes after the other teams. I'm not leaving until they've all been taken."

"You're going to get yourself killed," Green Arrow said.

"I'll be fine," said Tommy, leaning over with his hands on his knees.

He was breathing hard and, without the ranger costume on, Green Arrow could see just how tired he was. Tommy shifted his weight, but stumbled and leaned back against the wall, favoring one of his legs.

"I still have one morpher left," Tommy said, grimacing as he straightened up from the wall. "And there are only three more to take down. I can last that long."

"Right," they heard Clark say.

He turned his focus to Tommy and Green Arrow.

"I thought I got rid of you already," Clark snapped at Green Arrow. "I guess I'll have to try harder this time."

Green Arrow whipped his bow around, firing a Kryptonite dart as Clark charged them.

"Quick!" he yelled to Tommy. "Morph while you have the chance!"

He took off running, shooting another dart at Clark to draw his attention away long enough for Tommy to morph.

"It's Morphin' Time!" called Tommy. "Tigerzord!"

The darts had slowed Clark down, but by the time Tommy reached him he had caught Green Arrow and thrown him across the street. He landed hard and rolled, trying to push himself back up.

"I'm the one you want, Clark!" Tommy yelled, rushing back into the fight. Leave him out of this!"

Clark turned around with a smirk.

"Time to end this," he said, rushing at Tommy.

Tommy met him head on, determined to give Green Arrow a chance to move. They collided and Tommy went flying backward. He grimaced in pain underneath the helmet, trying to ignore throbbing of his protesting muscles. Green Arrow moved out of the way as quickly as he could, heading back to the rooftops with his last Kryptonite dart.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said. _"Fifth capture accomplished. Cyborg is in our possession. Red Two and Black Two, I'm sending you to help Red Leader."_

"No, Watchtower," Tommy interrupted, rolling out of Clark's way. "Don't worry about me. We have to make sure all of the others are caught first. Then we can focus our remaining forces on Boyscout."

_"Red Leader,"_ Chloe started to say.

"Send them after Martian Man Hunter," Tommy interrupted again. "They need help catching him. Get him and Hawkman then we can worry about Boyscout."

_"Alright,"_ Chloe said reluctantly. _"Red Two and Black Two, prepare for transport. You're joining Time Force."_

* * *

"Finally," Chloe said. "Now maybe we can catch Hawkman without anyone dying."

Chloe had just seen Carter arrive on the scene of the fight with Hawkman. He had really beaten up Wild Force.

"Chloe," Robin said again.

"What is it Robin?" Chloe asked, turning around.

"Batman called," he answered. "He found the blue Kryptonite and he'll be back in about two hours."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "How long have you known?"

"About fifteen minutes," Robin said. "You were busy with Wild Force."

Shaking her head, Chloe turned back to the computer.

"Watchtower to Red Leader," she said. "Batman has the blue K. Arrival in two hours."

Tommy didn't answer. Chloe took a deep breath, hoping he was too busy to answer, because he and Clark weren't currently in view of her remaining camera.

"Watchtower to all teams," she said, watching Hawkman transported off of the field. "Sixth capture accomplished. Hawkman is in our possession."

* * *

"Ok. That's it," Wes said, stopping in the middle of the street.

He and Eric had just lost Martian Man Hunter again. When he had first appeared, they had both morphed expecting a fight. Instead, he had disappeared.

"We've been playing this game of cat and mouse for hours," he continued. "There has got to be a way to keep track of him, because I for one do not want to spend the rest of the night chasing him around in circles while he messes with our heads."

"We almost had him that time," Eric said, looking around.

"It's only the second time we've actually seen him!" Wes exclaimed. "Every other time we've gotten close he attacked from behind and disappeared again."

"Doesn't matter," Eric said, moving again. "We've got to keep looking."

"I'm calling Chloe," Wes muttered. "Time Force One to Watchtower. Any suggestions on how to corner Martian Man Hunter? We've been chasing him for hours."

_"Just keep trying to flush him out," _Chloe said. _"Remember, he is afraid of fire. I'll try and send back up when I can. Red Leader needs more help right now."_

"Great," Wes muttered. "Fire. And how much is that going to help without setting the whole city on fire?"

"Man up, pretty boy," Eric said. "Let's just worry about finding him first."

* * *

Hawkman turned around to face Carter and Ryan. Then he charged. Carter leapt out of the way as the other four members of Lightspeed Rescue leapt on the rogue hero. Ryan stayed where he was, grabbing the mace as Hawkman swung it. Joel leapt on Hawkman's back, pinning his wings. Kelsey and Dana grabbed his arms, helping Ryan make sure he couldn't use the mace. Chad ran in last, diving for Hawkman's legs and taking him down to the ground.

"Now, Space One!" Carter yelled into the radio as he darted in and pinned the tracker on Hawkman. "We can't hold him long!"

There was a flash of light and Hawkman disappeared. Ryan was left holding his mace.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said, having seen the transport. _"Sixth capture accomplished. Hawkman is in our possession."_

"Oh gosh," Ryan said, dropping the heavy mace in surprise. "I think you forgot something Space One! That thing is heavy!"

"It can't be that heavy," Joel said, shaking his head.

He leaned over to pick up the mace. Not prepared for the weight, he yanked on it, expecting it to just come up. It didn't.

"Never mind," he grunted, letting it drop back down. "How does he carry that thing?"

"We need to get Wild Force out of here," Dana said.

Once Hawkman had been transported, she had run over to the other team to check on them. They were all in rough shape. Max still couldn't stand up and most of the others were having trouble moving.

_"Watchtower to Lightspeed!" _Chloe yelled over the radio. _"Red Leader is down and out. I need you there immediately!"_

"We'll be there as soon as we can, Watchtower," Carter answered grimly, looking around. "But we can't leave Wild Force. Hawkman took them down hard."

_"Just hurry," _Chloe said. _"Because Red Leader isn't going to last much longer."_

Sprinting into action, Lightspeed Rescue gathered the members of Wild Force and moved out as quickly as they could.

"Hold on, Tommy," Carter said.


	19. Keep Fighting

Tommy bounced off the hood of the car, rolling off onto the ground. Grimacing, he forced himself to his feet. Pain shot through his whole body as he stood, trying to catch his breath. Green Arrow was no longer in sight, but Tommy knew he had to be somewhere close. No matter what Tommy said, Green Arrow wasn't letting him face Clark completely alone. Clark stalked toward him again, smirking. Before Tommy could move, Clark suddenly sped toward him again, knocking Tommy backward and off of his feet again. He hit a wall hard, but still struggled back to his feet. His legs were threatening to give out on him. Shooting pain said he had probably fractured or broken something.

_"Watchtower to Red Leader," _Chloe said. _"Batman has the blue K. Arrival in two hours."_

Tommy shook his head, using the wall to support himself. He wasn't going to last two more hours. But he steeled himself for Clark's next attack. The rogue hero was playing with him now, weakening him to take him captive. Tommy wasn't about to let that happen. Clark struck again, grabbing Tommy and throwing him across the street. Energy spent, Tommy dropped to the ground, de-morphing. He had no morphers left. Clark paused, watching Tommy.

"What," Clark said. "No new powers?"

Tommy didn't answer. He was breathing hard and trying to ignore the pain. Taking a defensive stance, he prepared to continue the fight, powers or no powers.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said, having seen the transport. _"Sixth capture accomplished. Hawkman is in our possession."_

"Too easy," said Clark, charging at him.

But Tommy was ready. He didn't have any more ranger powers. Instead, he accessed the remnants of Rita's spell, his eyes flashing green as he fought back.

* * *

After Clark threw him across the street, again, Green Arrow struggled back up onto his feet. But Tommy distracted the rogue hero, giving Green Arrow a chance to get away. He ducked down an alley and headed up to the rooftops. With only his single Kryptonite arrow left, he needed the best vantage point he could get. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it.

"I'm not going to be able to move in the morning," he grumbled as he made his way to the edge of the roof.

Tommy was fighting hard, but he was taking a real beating. Green Arrow saw him bounce off of the hood of a car and winced.

_"Watchtower to Red Leader," _Chloe said. _"Batman has the blue K. Arrival in two hours."_

"Finally," Green Arrow muttered. "But I don't think he's going to last that long."

Clark kept attacking Tommy. Finally the ranger's powers gave out again and he de-morphed. But instead of trying to get away, Tommy stood up to keep fighting. Clark didn't attack right away, studying the powerless ranger.

"Maybe he'll stop now," Green Arrow said, shaking his head at the same time.

In his current state of mind, Clark wasn't going to stop.

_"Watchtower to all teams," _Chloe said over the radio. _"Sixth capture accomplished. Hawkman is in our possession."_

Clark charged Tommy, and Tommy fought back. Using his glasses to zoom in on the fight, Green Arrow saw Tommy's eyes flashing green. He was using the green ranger powers.

"Great," Green Arrow muttered, remembering that those powers were tied to Tommy's own energy. "Green Arrow to Watchtower! Red Leader is powerless and fighting! We need back-up. NOW!"


	20. Last Minute Rescue

_"Green Arrow to Watchtower!" _Green Arrow suddenly yelled over the radio._ "Red Leader is powerless and fighting! We need back-up. NOW!"_

"What?" Chloe exclaimed, enlarging the camera view. "Watchtower to Lightspeed! Red Leader is down and out. I need you there immediately!"

_"We'll be there as soon as we can, Watchtower,"_ Carter answered. _"But we can't leave Wild Force. Hawkman took them down hard."_

"Just hurry," Chloe said. "Because Red Leader isn't going to last much longer."

She and Hayley watched in horror as Tommy took on Clark without his powers.

"Did his eyes just flash green?" Chloe asked Hayley.

"Yes," she answered, her face pale. "He's tapping into the green ranger powers. On purpose! I'm going to kill him."

"If Clark doesn't kill him first," Chloe said grimly. "Red Two! Black Two! Prepare for transport. You're joining Red Leader whether he likes it or not."

* * *

Tommy fought hard, trying to draw out the fight as long as possible. But accessing the green ranger powers without the morpher was draining him quickly. He could hear Green Arrow and Chloe on the radio, but he tuned them out, focusing everything he had on Clark. But it wasn't enough. Clark charged him again, grabbing Tommy by the neck and slamming him against the wall. Tommy struggled to break free, his eyes flashing green again, but Clark was too strong.

Green Arrow watched as Clark grabbed Tommy by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Taking a deep breath, Green Arrow aimed his bow at Clark. He pulled out the Kryptonite arrow. It would be his last chance. The darts had been distractions, never meant to cause serious damage. Unlike the arrow. If Green Arrow took the shot, there would be no going back, because there was only one shot left to take that would make a difference.

"Watchtower," Green Arrow said. "I have him in my sights. If I take this, it's all over. Do I take the shot?"

The radio was silent.

"Watchtower!" Green Arrow yelled. "We don't have time! Do I take the shot?"

* * *

"Tommy!" Hayley exclaimed, watching Clark slam Tommy against the wall.

Chloe and Hayley couldn't look away from the fight. All they could do was watch and wait, hoping that Rocky and Adam would arrive on time. No one heard Lois come in. She stopped behind them.

"What's going on?" she exclaimed in shock.

"Lois!" Chloe said, whipping around.

"Clark's going to kill him!" Lois said, staring at the screen. "Why isn't someone stopping him?"

_"Watchtower," _Green Arrow said. _"I have him in my sights. If I take this, it's all over. Do I take the shot?"_

Chloe froze, unable to answer as she looked at Lois.

_"Watchtower!" _he yelled. _"We don't have time! Do I take the shot?"_

Chloe just kept glancing between Lois and the screen. Hayley was frozen, staring at the computer screen, the panic visible on her face. Lois reached over and took Chloe's comm.

"Take the shot, Ollie!" she yelled back. "Just take the shot!"

* * *

Chloe wasn't answering. Taking a deep breath, Green Arrow readied to fire anyways. He couldn't let Clark kill Tommy. Because even if they got him back, the knowledge that he had killed Tommy would kill Clark anyways. It was better to stop him, no matter the cost.

"I'm sorry, Lois," he muttered.

_"Take the shot, Ollie!"_ Lois suddenly screamed over the radio. _"Just take the shot!"_

Green Arrow froze in surprise. He hadn't been expecting to hear Lois over the radio. Shaking off the shock, he took aim again. But before he released the arrow, two figures slammed into Clark. He dropped Tommy in surprise. Tommy crumpled to the ground, not moving.

_"Green Arrow!"_ Chloe yelled. _"You've got to get him out of there!"_

"Working on it!" Green Arrow snapped as he bolted for the street.

* * *

Lois, Hayley, and Chloe watched in horror, waiting for Green Arrow to take the shot. The camera, damaged by the fight, was cutting in and out. They saw Clark pin Tommy against the wall, his hand around the ranger's throat, and then the camera cut out again. Chloe scrambled, trying to get the picture back so they could see what was going on.

"No no no!" she said, panicking.

Chloe got the picture back again. Tommy was lying on the ground, not moving, and Clark was nowhere to be seen.

"Tommy, no! Get up! You have to get up!" Hayley shouted at the screen.

But Tommy didn't move. The camera cut out again, but this time Chloe couldn't get it back.

"Green Arrow!" Chloe said. "You've got to get him out of there!"

_"Working on it!" _Green Arrow snapped.

* * *

Rocky and Adam arrived, already morphed into their next power, in Metropolis to see Clark pinning Tommy against a wall. Without hesitation, they both sprinted straight at Clark, slamming into him in unison. He didn't budge as they bounced off of him, but he did drop Tommy as he spun to retaliate. Tommy crumpled to the ground as Adam and Rocky attempted to defend themselves. But Clark was in a blind rage. He landed hit after hit, not relenting for a moment.

"Ah!" Adam yelled in pain, landing hard and de-morphing after Clark kicked him in the chest.

Clutching his rib cage, Adam staggered to his feet, trying to breath.

"Get Tommy!" Rocky yelled, still fighting Clark.

Adam nodded, moving as fast as he could back to Tommy's side. He still hadn't moved. Green Arrow was next to him already, pulling Tommy up.

"He's alive," Green Arrow said. "Watchtower, he's alive!"

Supporting Tommy between them, Adam and Green Arrow ran for the ATV and cycle still in the alley. Taking Tommy from Green Arrow, Adam put him on the ATV and climbed on behind him. Green Arrow jumped on the cycle and they both sped off toward Watchtower. Clark, noticing that Tommy was gone, turned on Rocky in a rage. He grabbed the red ranger and threw him into a wall. Rocky cried out in pain as he hit, de-morphing before he reached the ground. Clark stalked toward him as Rocky struggled to get his feet underneath him. Seeing one of Green Arrow's discarded darts nearby, Rocky gathered his remaining strength and launched himself for the dart. He grabbed it just in time. Rolling over, he jabbed it into Clark's leg, forcing Clark down. Rocky pushed himself to his feet and ran.

"Space One," he yelled. "I need transport now."

Clark threw away the dart and ran after him. But before the angry hero could catch him, Rocky was transported away in a flash of light. Clark stood looking around for a moment, and then sped away from the scene of the fight.


	21. Regroup

_"Watchtower, he's alive!" _Green Arrow yelled.

"Which one?" Lois asked softly, staring at the blank screen.

"Why wouldn't he be alive?" Hayley exclaimed, panicking more. "Was that even a question? Was it that close?"

"Green Arrow!" Chloe yelled. "What's going on? I can't see what's going on! Answer me?"

He didn't answer.

"He has to be alive," Hayley muttered. "He has to be. He always comes back. After everything. It doesn't matter what happens to him, he always comes back."

Lois was silent as Chloe continued to yell into the radio for someone to answer her. The elevator door opened and every spun around to see who was there.

"Chloe!" Green Arrow yelled. "Get the first aid kit! Now! We need to get him ready for transport!"

He and Adam were supporting Tommy between them. He was semi-conscious now, but completely out of it. The only reason Tommy was still upright was because Adam and Green Arrow each had one of his arms over their shoulders. Chloe leapt up from her chair and ran to get the first aid kit. Hayley gasped and ran for the stairs. Lois just watched in silence, shaking her head. Running straight to Tommy, Hayley grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him. Green Arrow and Adam took his arms from their shoulders, allowing him to lean on Hayley and took a step back.

"Well that's one way to wake him up," Adam said, shaking his head.

Green Arrow shook his head too, pulling off his hood and glasses. Tommy just stared for a minute as Hayley stopped the kiss, looking up at him. She put her arms around his waist, gently holding him, and he wrapped his around her. Chloe came running back with the first aid kit.

"I've got the first aid kit," Chloe said. "Hayley, let's get him laying down and fix him up as much as we can before Andros takes him."

Hayley nodded, turning to lead Tommy out of the room. He stopped her.

"Is everyone in?" he asked. "Have they caught everyone?"

"No," Chloe said. "Martian Man Hunter is still on the loose. Which reminds me."

She turned to Adam, who was still standing nearby.

"Adam, I need you to rejoin Wes and Eric," she said. "They're really struggling to corner him."

Adam glanced over at Tommy and then nodded.

"On my way," he said. "Space One, Black Two requesting transport to Time Force."

He disappeared in a flash of light. Hayley started to lead Tommy away again, taking the first aid kit from Chloe.

"I'm not leaving until everyone is back," Tommy said as they left the room.

"I know," Hayley sighed.

"He's in rough shape," Oliver said, running a hand through his hair as he watched them leave. "It's a miracle that he held up against Clark this long."

"I know," Chloe said. "Oliver?"

"Yeah?" he said.

"Did you—I mean, with Clark?" she asked.

Oliver shook his head, glancing upstairs where Lois was standing at the railing.

"I didn't take the shot," he said, pulling out the Kryptonite arrow. "Rocky and Adam made it in time."

"Oh thank goodness," Chloe said. "I couldn't see anything and I thought that, maybe—"

"I know," Oliver said, reaching over and pulling Chloe into a hug.

She hugged him back, missing his wince of pain. But he hid it when she looked up at him.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Now we wait again," Chloe sighed. "Hopefully they'll be able to catch John without Clark's interference. Batman will be here as quickly as he can be and then we can hopefully get Clark."

Oliver nodded and started heading up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"To see how the others are doing," Oliver answered. "And then to track down Clark. We need to know where he is."

"I don't think so," Chloe said, shaking her head. "I'm not stupid, Oliver. I know you need some injuries taken care of too. Let's go. Lois, please check in and make sure Rocky made it out ok."

Lois nodded, leaving the railing to go back to the computer. Oliver groaned as Chloe grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the room.

"How could you let him get away?" Lex screamed at Clark. "He's an insignificant human and you let him escape!"

* * *

After Tommy and the others had gotten away, Clark had returned to Lex for new orders. Standing in Lex's office, he quietly accepted Lex's ranting.

"I'm sorry, Lex," Clark said. "But I'll find him. He can't hide forever."

"No," Lex snapped. "One of your teammates is still free. I want you to go and make sure he remains that way."

The phone rang and Lex snatched it up.

"What is it?" he snarled.

_"Mr. Luthor," _the man said. _"I'm sorry, sir. But we've lost contact with Martian Man Hunter."_

Lex didn't answer. He just slammed the phone down onto the receiver.

"Bring me that ranger!" he yelled at Clark. "He is going to pay for ruining my plans. I want him: dead or alive. And I want him now!"

Clark didn't wait for any further instructions, he just sped from the room.

* * *

Chloe leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh of relief. Wes, Eric, and Adam had finally caught Martian Man Hunter, trapping him in a ring of fire. That meant everyone was accounted for except for Clark, and Green Arrow was back out hunting for him. Dialing a video call to the Astro Megaship, Chloe waited for Andros to answer.

"Chloe," Andros said. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, Andros," she answered. "I'm just calling in for an update now that the rangers are all in. How is everything up there?"

Andros paused before answering.

"Crowded," he finally said. "But everyone is recovering fine. Zach is up and moving around, as are the teens. The remnants of the ranger powers have helped accelerate healing. But Ethan does have a broken arm and will be wearing a cast for several weeks."

"He's not going to like that," Chloe said. "What about the others?"

"Conner is completely conscious now," Andros answered. "And all four of them are on strict orders to stay awake until they're told otherwise. They all had concussions. No one else was too serious. A lot of bruised and broken ribs, fractures, cuts and bruises in general, which are all on their way to healing. And Adam, Wes, and Eric should be arriving soon. They were going to escort Martian Man Hunter to Ninja Ops. Ninja Storm went back there to wait."

"Good," Chloe said. "And Wild Force?"

"Oh, they never came here," Andros answered. "Lightspeed Rescue took them straight back to Aquabase. But last I heard they're all doing fine. Although Dana said something about several of them being in casts for a while."

"It doesn't surprise me," Chloe said, shaking her head. "I warned them not to underestimate Hawkman. He's extremely strong, and that mace is heavy."

In the background Chloe could hear a shrill voice screaming at someone. It sounded like Aisha, which meant she was probably yelling at Rocky again.

"Do you know where we can send some of the group?" Andros asked, glancing over his shoulder. "The ship was never meant to hold this many people and, like I said, it's a little crowded."

"I'll check with Hayley when she comes out," Chloe said. "How is my team doing?"

"We think Bart has finally snapped out of it," Andros said. "He recognizes all of the pictures we've shown him. Also, he won't stop talking and keeps asking for food while he zips around the room in circles, running up the walls. Quite literally. He's even eaten some of the alien delicacies that the rest of my team won't touch."

Chloe laughed.

"Carlos checks in on him once in a while," Andros continued. "We had to stop sending Ashley and Cassie because he kept flirting with them…"

"Yeah," said Chloe. "He's back to normal. But if you could keep him there for a little while that would be great. I really can't deal with him right now."

"I can do that," Andros answered. "Cyborg is—"

Andros was cut short as he was suddenly pushed sideways, Tanya taking his place at the computer.

"Is Adam ok?" she asked Chloe. "I haven't heard anything about him in hours. And Rocky didn't see where he went or if he was ok and he's not here. Do you know where he is? Is everything ok?"

"Tanya," Hayley said, joining Chloe at the computer. "Adam is fine. Some broken ribs, but he's moving. I believe he just finished helping Wes and Eric catch Martian Man Hunter."

"He should be here any moment," Andros said behind Tanya. "May I have my computer back?"

"Oh, sorry Andros," Tanya said. "Wait! How's Tommy?"

"He's been better," Hayley answered. "But he'll survive."

"Tanya?" Andros said.

"Right," Tanya said, jumping away from the computer. "I—I'm gonna go."

Moving out of his way, Tanya disappeared.

"It really is crowded up here," Andros said, shaking his head and sitting back down.

"I think I can help you with that," Hayley said, smiling. "Send the teens back to Tommy's house in Reefside. They can make themselves comfortable there and work on coming up with a cover story while they keep each other awake."

"Oh, they've already started discussing that," Andros said. "Conner says he will not smash up his car."

"Good," Hayley answered. "At least I know their functioning enough to follow proper procedure. I'll call and give them some suggestions later when they're all back on earth. As for the rest of them, send Zordon's rangers to Jason and Trini's house. They'll be fine there."

"I will do that," Andros said.

Carlos walked into the room, shaking his head and grimacing.

"Are they leaving yet?" he asked. "Some peace and quiet would be nice."

"Actually, yes," Andros answered. "Will you please let the teens know they are returning to Reefside? Everyone else is going to Jason and Trini's house."

"Yes!" Carlos said with a grin. "I'll go tell everyone."

He disappeared, leaving the room.

"Anyways," Chloe said. "What were you saying earlier about Cyborg?"

"When Rocky shorted him out, it broke Cyborg out of the mind control," Andros said. "He's awake and alert, but he has quite a few burnt out circuits. He's currently working with Alpha to repair himself. They're in a video conference with Billy to make sure everything goes fine."

"That's great," Chloe said. "And if you can't get Bart to calm down, just send Cyborg in there. He'll calm down real fast."

"I'll keep that in mind," Andros said. "Aquaman is still firmly under the effects of the brain-drain machine, though. We haven't been able to break through to him."

Chloe thought about it for a moment, then started laughing.

"Just stick Bart in the room with him," she said. "That'll snap him out of it in no time."

"Ok," Andros said. "I'll let Carlos know to escort him there once the other rangers are gone."

Another call started coming in and Chloe split the screen so she could talk to them both at once. The incoming call was from Carter at Aquabase.

"Chloe," he said. "Calling in with an update. And hoping for suggestions…"

"How's everything going down there, Carter?" she asked.

"Well, I've made some progress with Black Canary," he said. "But she's going to take a while. However, we've made no progress with Star Girl or Hawkman. Star Girl isn't causing any problems, but Hawkman is going to hurt someone if we can't snap him out of it. Does he have someone, or something, he really loves? Anything that might snap him out of it?"

Chloe was quiet for a moment, trying to think of anything to help them. Lois, who was sitting nearby, beat her to it.

"Shayera!" she exclaimed. "His love."

Lois hopped up and went running over to a nearby bookshelf, searching for something.

"That's right," Chloe said. "Remind him of Shayera. That might be the only thing that can snap him out of it."

"Here," Lois said, holding out a book. "Read him this. It's their story. If anything is going to bring Hawkman back, it'll be this."

"I'll send TJ," Andros said. "He's done with Bart, so he's free to come down there and help."

"Thank you," Carter said. "We'll be waiting."

He signed off.

"I just received word from Ninja Ops," Andros said. "They have Martian Man Hunter and they're going to start working with him."

"Good," Chloe said. "Then everyone except Clark is accounted for and under control. Mostly. Please keep me updated with progress."

"I will," Andros said, signing off.

Hayley stood back up.

"I'm going to go update Tommy," she said. "Maybe he'll let me take him up to the ship or down to Aquabase now that all of the others are back."

She headed out of the room while Chloe went back to the computer, looking for any sign of Clark.


	22. Where is he?

"Tommy," Hayley said, walking into the room. "Are you still awake?"

He was lying down on the bed, eyes closed. Hayley had bandaged the worst of his injuries, but he needed more medical attention than she was able to provide.

"I'm awake," he mumbled, not opening his eyes.

"Mmmhmm…" she said, gently sitting down on the bed next to him. "Sure you are."

He tried to hide it, but Tommy winced when the bed shifted. Hayley reached over and laid a hand on his cheek, and he moved his hand to cover hers.

"I'm getting to old for this," he groaned.

"Tommy," she said. "Why don't you let me take you to Dana? You need to have your injuries looked at. Everyone is back now, safe and sound."

"Is Batman back with the blue Kryptonite?" Tommy asked, opening his eyes.

"No," Hayley sighed, shaking her head. "But he should be back any time now."

"Then everyone isn't back," Tommy said. "I'm not going anywhere until Clark is back where he belongs."

"Why are you so stubborn?" Hayley asked.

"Blame the others," he said. "I have to be."

Hayley shook her head, laughing.

"Sure, blame the others. At least I know you're going to be ok," she said. "And when Batman gets back, he and Green Arrow will use the blue Kryptonite to take down Clark. Then I can get you checked and we can all go home and rest."

"Who needs rest?" Tommy said. "I'll be up and back in school by Monday."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Hayley retorted.

"We'll see," Tommy said, his eyes starting to close again.

Hayley smiled. He was starting to fall asleep.

"Get some sleep," she said, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss. "I'll wake you in a few hours."

"Or if anything happens," he said, opening his eyes to look at her.

"Or if anything happens," she agreed. "Now go to sleep. I'm going to stay right here."

As Tommy drifted off to sleep, Hayley stretched out on the bed next him, laying her head against his shoulder and holding his hand in hers.

* * *

Chloe studied the screen, a little confused by Clark's behavior. After Hayley left the room again, he had finally showed up on camera. But he wasn't destroying anything.

"Watchtower to Green Arrow," Chloe said. "Do you have eyes on Boyscout?"

_"Negative, Watchtower," _Green Arrow answered. _"Do you have him?"_

"I do," Chloe said, frowning. "But he's acting very strangely. I thought he'd attack the city, but he hasn't destroyed anything. It looks like he's looking for something."

_"Well, if he's looking for a fight he's not going to get much of one," _Green Arrow answered. _"I can't fight him like the rangers did. I just don't have the strength."_

"What's going on?" Hayley asked, walking up behind Chloe.

"I don't know," Chloe said, still watching Clark. "He's listening for something. And he keeps disappearing from one camera and appearing on another. Heading in—oh no! He's heading this way!"

_"What?" _Green Arrow exclaimed. _"Watchtower, what are you talking about?"_

"Boyscout is heading for Watchtower!" she yelled.

There was a loud crash and all of Watchtower's alarms started blaring as the building locked down. All three women jumped, spinning around. Clark had just crashed into the building, landing in a crouch. They all froze when they saw Clark. He straightened up slowly, glaring around the room.

"Clark?" Lois said, taking a step forward.

"Where is he?" Clark demanded. "Where is Red Leader?"

"What?" Chloe said, glancing over at Hayley.

"I want him. Now!" Clark snapped. "He's ruined everything and he's going to pay for it."

"Clark," Chloe said. "You've got to listen to us. Lex is just using you. He doesn't really care."

"Stop telling me that!" Clark yelled. "Lex saved me from people like you and I'm going to help him change everything for the better."

"Clark," Hayley said.

"No!" he interrupted. "I'm taking him to Lex, and none of you can stop me."

Dismissing the three women, Clark started scanning Watchtower for Tommy. Hayley looked around frantically, trying to think of a way to stop Clark. She saw the wireless computer mouse sitting on the desk and threw it. The mouse bounced off of Clark's shoulder. He glanced back at her, glaring, then went back to searching. Chloe stared at her in shock.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "He'll kill us."

"I have to keep him from finding Tommy," Hayley answered, picking up a keyboard and throwing it.

She threw several chair cushions and a few books from the table, trying to break Clark's concentration. Hayley looked around for something else and Chloe handed her Oliver's briefcase. She took it and threw it. Clark glanced around in irritation, but didn't stop looking.

"That was really light," Hayley said, grabbing another book to throw.

"Sorry," Chloe said. "Oliver's costume wasn't in it. Or his bow. That's how he carries them."

"That makes a lot of sense," Hayley said.

While Chloe and Hayley had looked away, searching for their next projectiles, Lois was still standing in shock, holding her cup of coffee. Looking around, Hayley saw her holding it and grabbed the cup right out of Lois' hand.

"Hey!" Lois exclaimed.

But it was too late. Hayley threw the coffee as hard as she could and hit Clark in the back of the head. The cup burst open, spilling hot coffee all down Clark's back. It was the last straw. He whipped around in irritation, stalking toward the three women.

"Go!" Chloe exclaimed, turning around and pushing Hayley and Lois. "Go, go, go, go, go!"

Angry with them now, Clark ripped a computer off of the wall, throwing it across the room at them. They managed to duck out of the way just in time, hiding under a table. But Clark just charged them instead. He picked up the table, throwing it out of the way. Just in time, Chloe managed to pull the piece of kryptonite she carried with her out, pulling it out of the small, lead-lined pouch and holding it up. Clark stumbled backward away from them.

"Hurry!" Chloe said.

The three ran for cover again as Clark recovered, picking up the table and throwing it at them. They ducked behind one of the larger computers as Clark continued to rampage through Watchtower. He tried getting close again, but each time the Kryptonite stopped him.

"We've got to contact Andros," Hayley said. "They can transport us all out of here."

"Actually, no they can't," Chloe said, shaking her head. "When I upgraded Watchtower's security systems, I added in a program to block the transportation signals in order to block unwanted guests from transporting themselves in. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to fix the bug that also keeps us from teleporting out. The program was activated the moment Watchtower went into lockdown. We're trapped."

Lois and Hayley looked at her in shock as Clark continued to try and reach them, tearing apart Watchtower piece by piece.


	23. Return of the green ranger

_The plot thickens :) So I want to say thanks to those of you who have been reading and reviewing we love hearing what you think about the story! Tommy is the main focus of this story but we are trying to bring everyone in on the fun. So don't worry the originals will be back later for a bit. For now justkeep the reviews coming and let us know what you think will happen next! Enjoy..._

Tommy jolted awake, reaching for his alarm clock. But he couldn't find it. He started to sit up in confusion, but fell back on the bed in pain. Reality came rushing back in.

"I'm still in Watchtower," he said to himself. "So why are there alarms going off? The alarms!"

He bolted upright, holding his rib cage in pain. Loud crashes were coming from the direction of Watchtower's main room. Someone was causing a lot of destruction.

"Clark," Tommy muttered, leaning forward. "Ouch. This is not good. Not good."

Reaching under the bed, Tommy pulled out his bag and dug into it. Feeling around for a moment, his hand finally closed over a small metal object. Then he stood up, grimacing as he put his full weight on his injured legs.

"I had hoped I would have to use this," he sighed, shaking his head.

Taking a few slow steps to make sure he wouldn't fall, he headed toward the main room.

* * *

_"Watchtower to Green Arrow,"_ Chloe said. _"Do you have eyes on Boyscout?"_

"Negative, Watchtower," Green Arrow answered. "Do you have him?"

_"I do,"_ Chloe said. _"But he's acting very strangely. I thought he'd attack the city, but he hasn't destroyed anything. It looks like he's looking for something."_

"Well, if he's looking for a fight he's not going to get much of one," Green Arrow answered. "I can't fight him like the rangers did. I just don't have the strength."

_"He's listening for something," _she said._ "And he keeps disappearing from one camera and appearing on another. Heading in—oh no! He's heading this way!"_

"What?" Green Arrow exclaimed. "Watchtower, what are you talking about?"

_"Boyscout is heading for Watchtower!"_ she yelled, and then the radio went silent.

"Watchtower?" Green Arrow said. "Watchtower? Chloe!"

Green Arrow turned and ran toward Watchtower as fast as he could.

"Green Arrow to Space One," he yelled. "Boyscout is attacking Watchtower! Need immediate evacuation!"

_"I'm on it, Green Arrow," _Andros answered.

Green Arrow kept running, just hoping he'd make it in time.

_"Space One to Green Arrow," _Andros said. _"I can't transport them out. Something is stopping me. All D.E.C.A. is picking up is static."_

"What?" Green Arrow exclaimed. "But I thought you guys could transport anyone from anywhere!"

_"Not if someone blocks the signal," _Andros answered. _"You're going to have to find a way in there before it's too late, because we can't pull them out."_

Not answering, Green Arrow started running faster, pushing his limits and hoping there was still a way in.

* * *

Clark smashed the console Hayley, Chloe, and Lois were hiding behind. They scrambled away, Chloe holding up the Kryptonite again. They ran toward the stairs, ducking behind a pile of rubble that had landed nearby. Clark chased after them, but then there was another crash and the women peered around the rubble to see Clark looking up in the rafters, using his heat vision. Robin had just dropped a light on Clark's head, trying to draw his attention away from them. He managed to avoid Clark's heat vision, dropping down next to the women while Clark was still looking.

"Robin!" Chloe exclaimed. "What are you still doing here?"

"Batman's almost here," Robin said, ignoring the question. "I already told him about the lockdown."

"You need to get out of here," Chloe said. "Use the air vents, hopefully they can get you outside."

"But what about you?" Robin asked.

"I can't leave without Tommy," Hayley said.

Clark had stopped looking for Robin and was moving toward them again.

"We can't," Chloe agreed. "But maybe we can all get out! Robin, there's an emergency release in the air vents. If you can find it, you can use it to reverse the lockdown so we can get out. Give me your computer."

Robin handed over the computer and Chloe started typing quickly. Clark was moving closer, grabbing obstacles and chucking them out of his way. As soon as she was done, Chloe handed the computer back.

"I put all of the codes you'll need in there," she said. "Now hurry. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep away from him."

Nodding, Robin vaulted himself back up into the rafters, heading for the air vents as Clark ripped away the computer remnants and furniture they were hiding behind. Lois and Hayley headed for the stairs while Chloe backed away slowly, holding out the Kryptonite. Clark stumbled, moving away. As soon as she though he was down for a moment, Chloe turned and bolted down the stairs. But Clark recovered faster than she thought he would. Picking up a broken computer monitor, he threw it down the stairs at Chloe. It caught her in the shoulder, one of the corners catching her in the side of the head. Chloe tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, dropping the Kryptonite as she landed. It went sliding out of reach.

"Chloe!" Lois yelled, running for her cousin.

But Clark was faster. And without the Kryptonite, Chloe didn't have a chance to get away.

"Your little game is over," Clark snarled, picking her up by the throat. "I wasn't going to hurt any of you, but you've given me no choice."

Chloe struggled as Clark began to tighten his hand, cutting off her air supply.

"Clark! Let her go!" Lois yelled, launching herself at him.

Hayley followed, but he just knocked both of them away, focusing on Chloe. She was trying to breath, but couldn't get any air.

"Game over," Clark said.

"Clark!" Tommy yelled. "Leave them alone!"

Clark looked up to see Tommy standing at the top of the stairs. He was leaning on the railing with one hand, gripping something in the other. Smirking, Clark tossed Chloe to the side and stalked toward Tommy. Lois and Hayley rushed to check on Chloe, who was gasping for air, a hand to her throat. Tommy opened his hand to reveal he was holding another morpher. Without hesitating, he stood up straight.

"It's Morphin' Time!" he yelled. "Dragonzord!"

Hayley heard him and spun around in surprise as he morphed into the green ranger.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed. "You can't use that. It'll kill you!"

"We're ending this now!" Tommy yelled, launching himself at Clark.

They collided and both went down the stairs, tumbling over one another. Lois and Hayley scrambled out of the way, helping Chloe, as things started flying. Tommy was dodging Clark, hiding behind things and trying to draw out the fight. But he was moving slower than usual. His years of training were all that were keeping him out of Clark's grasp. Clark closed the gap, landing a solid hit to Tommy's chest. He flew backward, bouncing off a wall, but launched himself back at Clark. He landed a few hits of his own before Clark sent him flying again. Tommy grunted in pain, pushing himself off of the wall. But Clark was too fast. He trapped Tommy in the corner and just started pounding on him. Putting his arms up, Tommy tried to keep blocking the blows, but he was losing energy and sinking closer and closer to the ground.

"Lois!" Tommy yelled without looking. "Talk to him! He's too far gone for the rest of us. If you can't get through, no one else will."

Lois didn't move, just staring at Clark and Tommy.

"Aah!" Tommy cried in pain. "Lois! Now!"

Lois nodded. Standing up, she left Chloe with Hayley. Taking a deep breath, Lois walked toward the two men. Tommy was struggling to stay upright, using all of his energy reserves, as Clark rained down blow after blow.

"Clark," Lois said, moving closer and closer. "Clark, please. Come back. Don't you remember me? Lois? You're always rescuing me and complaining that I can't stay out of trouble."

Clark didn't pause. Tommy let out another cry of pain as something cracked.

"Come on, Smallville," Lois said. "Snap out of it! This isn't who you are. You can't even stay mad at me when I get in trouble or burn dinner. You've worked too hard to get where you are to let someone else make the decisions for you."

Again, Clark didn't move.

"You big idiot!" Lois screamed, snapping. "How can you do this to the people who care about you? I've worked too hard to cover for you in the past for you to blow this now. You're too good for this. Too good for Lex. So forget him and come home!"

"I know where my home is now," Clark snapped, spinning around and forgetting about Tommy for a moment.

Tommy slumped against the wall, the only thing keeping him on his feet.

"And it isn't here," he continued. "It's with Lex, the one who rescued me from people who want to use me!"

Clark reached to hit Lois away, but Tommy leapt in the way and took the hit. He went flying across the room. Hitting the far wall with a loud crack, he slumped to the ground, de-morphing. Hayley jumped up from where she was crouched.

"Tommy!" she cried, starting to run to him.

"No!" he snapped, shaking his head in a daze.

Hayley froze, staring at Tommy.

"I will take him to Lex," Clark snarled, "and then I'll finish the rest of you and there will be no one left to stand against us."

Turning away from Lois, Clark focused back on Tommy.

"Lex said he wanted you," Clark said, stalking toward him, "but he didn't say you had to be alive."

Unable to stand and watch, Hayley started running toward Tommy. But Lois was closer. As Clark moved in to deliver the final blow, Lois intervened.

"If you're going to kill someone, Clark, then kill me!" she yelled, jumping in between Clark and Tommy. "Because I don't want to live if this is who you're going to be."


	24. Last chance

Green Arrow arrived at Watchtower to find it still completely locked down. Searching around the building, he desperately tried to find a way in.

"Chloe!" he yelled into the radio, hoping she would answer.

But there was nothing. He was searching the outside of the building again when he heard an engine roaring. Hoping it was the Batmobile, Green Arrow ran in that direction. Green Arrow found Batman heading for the roof of the building. He didn't pause, so Green Arrow followed him.

"Any ideas?" Green Arrow asked. "I can't find a way in."

Batman glared at him, letting out a growl, but didn't answer. Instead, he disappeared into a dark opening. Green Arrow hadn't noticed before. One of the access doors had been opened just enough for someone to slip through.

"Oh," said Green Arrow, staring after him for a moment. "Right."

Green Arrow dropped in after Batman. When he caught up, Robin had joined him.

"They're all still inside," Robin was saying. "They couldn't get up into the vents, so Chloe sent me. I opened the access panel as much as I could, but Clark damaged the system with his tearing apart Watchtower. Nothing else will work."

"Are they alive?" Green Arrow asked, tense as he waited for the answer.

"They were a few minutes ago," Robin answered. "But Clark was pretty angry."

"Then let's go," Green Arrow said.

Robin glanced at Batman, who nodded, and then he turned around and took the lead. He lead them through the vents as quickly as he could. When they reached the main level of Watchtower, they all dropped quietly out of the vents. Unseen, the three of them moved to see what was happening. Chloe was on the floor, leaning against the remnants of some furniture, while both Hayley and Lois were sprinting across the room where Clark was advancing slowly on Tommy.

"If you're going to kill someone, Clark, then kill me!" they heard Lois yell as she leapt in between them. "Because I don't want to live if this is who you're going to be."

"Lois!" Green Arrow exclaimed, lurching forward as Clark's strike went straight for her head.

But nothing happened. Clark froze, staring at Lois. No one moved, waiting to see what would happen.

"Now," Batman snarled at Green Arrow.

Shaking himself, Green Arrow pulled out his bow and the Kryptonite arrow, taking aim at Clark as he stood over Lois and Tommy.

* * *

Lois waited, her eyes clenched shut. Waited for Clark to finish it. But nothing happened. Opening her eyes, Lois looked up to see Clark standing over them, staring at her. There was conflict in his face.

"Talk to him, Lois," Tommy gasped from behind her. "He's fighting it. Talk to him."

"Clark, please," she said. "I need you. Come on. I know you're stronger than this, Smallville. You're stronger than anything. Wake up. Please?"

"Lois?" Clark said hesitantly, shaking his head.

Then he stumbled forward, falling to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Lois gasped and looked up to see Green Arrow standing on the balcony, holding his bow. Batman came swinging down and landed next to Clark. Yanking the arrow out of his shoulder, Batman tied something to his wrist. Pulling a needle out of his utility belt, he stuck it in Clark's arm, injecting him with a sedative before taking a step back. Lois reached toward Clark, hesitating as his eyes opened briefly and he looked at her. Then his eyes closed and he collapsed.

"Tommy!" Hayley yelled, rushing to him.

Lois took a deep breath and moved closer to Clark. Rolling him over, she pulled his head in her lap. Glancing at his wrist, Lois saw that the strap Batman had tied around Clark's wrist had a rough cut blue stone set in it. The blue Kryptonite. He was still bleeding from his shoulder because the wound hadn't had a chance to heal before he became human. Glancing around, Lois couldn't find anything to use, so she pulled off her jacket and used it to try and stop the bleeding.

"You're an idiot," Hayley said behind her, talking to Tommy.

While Lois looked after Clark, Hayley was making sure he was still alive. Tommy was barely conscious. Every movement caused more pain. Even breathing hurt. Struggling to keep awake, Tommy blinked to clear his vision, looking up at Hayley.

"Why didn't you tell me you had that thing?" Hayley asked, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

"You would have taken it away," Tommy answered, wincing. "I never meant to use it. It was always for an emergency."

"It could have killed you," Hayley scolded, trying not to cry.

"I'm not dead yet," Tommy said, leaning further back against the wall as he struggled to breath.

"You're not going to die," Hayley said. "Because if you do I'll kill you."

"I wouldn't dare die on you," Tommy mumbled, losing consciousness.

"Tommy?" Hayley said. "Tommy, stay awake. You need to stay awake."

Tommy didn't answer.

"Chloe!" Hayley cried. "We need to get him out of here now!"

She turned around to look for Chloe. Oliver, his hood and glasses gone, was holding her upright. Chloe was leaning against him taking deep breaths, her eyes closed. Hearing Hayley yell, Chloe opened her eyes and glanced over. Taking one look at Tommy, Chloe stepped away from Oliver and headed for the stairs. He tried to stop her, but she pulled him after her. She came back a few minutes later with her personal laptop. Tucked away in a corner, it had somehow survived Clark's rampage. Setting it up on a makeshift table, Chloe started typing furiously, trying to get at least part of Watchtower's network up and running. After a few minutes, she managed to connect to their satellite and sent out an emergency video call to Andros on the Megaship.

"Chloe!" Andros exclaimed, answering almost immediately. "We are so glad to see you. We didn't think anyone would get there in time."

The other Space Rangers were standing behind him. Chloe took a deep breath before talking.

"I shut off Watchtower's defenses," she said, her voice rough. "Tommy's in bad shape. He's needs immediate attention. The rest can wait."

"Of course," Andros said. "D.E.C.A., transport Tommy and Hayley immediately."

"Thank you, Chloe," Hayley said.

The transport light surrounded them and they disappeared. Chloe looked around. Lois was still sitting on the floor with the unconscious Clark. Batman and Robin had disappeared sometime after he had sedated Clark.

"I'll have to thank him later," Chloe said softly.

"We'll have a lot of thank you's to make," Oliver agreed. "Do you think Tommy will be alright?"

"I don't know," Chloe sighed. "I hope so. But all we can do now is wait."

"What about Clark?" Oliver asked. "Is he ok now? Or will he wake up still thinking Lex is the most wonderful man in the world and try and kill us all?"

"He recognized me at the end," Lois said, speaking up for the first time. "I think he's back."

"I agree with Lois," Chloe said. "Clark wouldn't have stopped unless he knew what he was doing, because the Clark under Lex's control didn't care who he hurt to further Lex's cause."

Oliver looked at Clark suspiciously.

"I want to believe he's back," Oliver said. "But I just want to make sure before we let him go running around again. Let's reserve final judgment until he's awake."

"Not here," Lois said, shaking her head. "If he wakes up here and sees what he did, the guilt will be too much. It'll kill him, or put him right back under Lex's control. He should wake up at home, where he's safe."

"I'm not worried about his safety, Lois," Oliver said. "I'm worried about yours. And Chloe's. He almost killed both of you!"

Chloe put a hand on Oliver's arm.

"Lois is right, Oliver," she said gently. "Let her take him home. He's wearing the blue Kryptonite and we'll make sure she has more sedative just in case."

Oliver nodded, still glaring over at Clark.

"My car is parked down in the alley," Lois said. "We can take that. Ollie, can you help me get him in the car?"

"Yes. And I'm going with you," Oliver said suddenly. "I can't leave you alone with him until we're sure he's fine."

He glanced over at Chloe, but she shook her head.

"I'm staying here," she said. "There are still things that need to be done, and I'll be fine. The worst is behind us."

Oliver nodded, and then pulled Chloe into a hug, giving her a quick kiss.

"Call me if anything happens," he said. "No more risks."

"No more risks," Chloe said, smiling.

Pulling Clark to his feet, Lois and Oliver held him up between them as they headed out, leaving Chloe alone in the ruins of Watchtower.


	25. Aftermath

Waking up seemed to take forever. Flashes of nightmarish scenes kept flashing across Clark's memory as he returned to consciousness. Opening his eyes, Clark stared up at the ceiling for a moment, and then looked around, trying to remember where he was. It was the farmhouse. He was on the couch. Sitting up, Clark looked around the room. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he ignored it for the moment, trying to figure out why he was on the couch. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there. His memory was fuzzy.

"What's going on?" Clark muttered, frowning.

Lois and Oliver were both fast asleep in chairs facing the couch, which wasn't normal. And even more out of place, Oliver was dressed in his Green Arrow costume with his bow in his lap. Shaking his head, Clark reached up to run a hand through his hair and stopped. He was wearing a bracelet set with a blue stone.

"Blue kryptonite?" he mumbled. "Why am I wearing this? Something weird is going on. Maybe Chloe can tell me what's going on."

Taking off the bracelet, Clark stood up. He set it down on the table and walked over to where Lois was sitting. Smiling, Clark brushed some hair out of her face and tucked a nearby blanket around her. He dropped another one over Oliver and headed out the door. Away from the kryptonite, Clark sped off toward Watchtower.

"Hey Andros," Chloe said, stifling a yawn. "Do you have an update for me?"

"Yes," he answered. "It looks like your entire team is back to normal."

"Or as normal as they can be," Chloe said in relief. "So everything went well?"

"It did," Andros said. "Placing Bart in the room with Aquaman worked wonders. After only a few minutes of listening to Bart's nonstop chatter he snapped out of it and started threatening to drown Bart. Once we were sure he was back to himself, we allowed him to rehydrate. Bart disappeared shortly after. We're a little worried…"

"I wouldn't be too concerned," Chloe said, laughing. "Bart can't get off the ship, and AC won't really drown him."

"I see," Andros said. "Oh. Cyborg is fully operational again. He finished his repairs. We believe he may also have something to do with Bart's disappearance…"

"It wouldn't really surprise me," Chloe said, shaking her head. "But they won't kill him. I swear. He'll probably spend a few hours tied up and gagged in a corner somewhere, but they won't kill him."

"We will have to keep an eye out for him," Andros said, not sure what to think.

"Have you heard anything from Carter?" Chloe asked. "I haven't been able to get through to him… With my network down, I'm lucky to be in contact with you. Thank goodness D.E.C.A. is able to pick up my laptop… Anyways, back to Aquabase."

"Everything is under control at Aquabase," said Andros. "The book you gave us worked. Dana and Kelsey both tried reading it, but they started crying… So Chad finished. By the end of it Hawkman was himself again. But they couldn't let him out because he wanted to leave and kill Lex…"

"Definitely back to normal," Chloe muttered. "Do they still have him locked up?"

"No," Andros said, shaking his head. "When he found out Star Girl was there and still under the influence of the machine, he agreed not to immediately go and smash in Lex's skull if they let him out to talk to her. Apparently it only took a few words from Hawkman to snap Star Girl out of it. And then they both had to be put back under lockdown. She has almost the same temper he does, if not the strength to enforce it."

"I'll have to have a talk with them eventually," Chloe said. "But that can wait. What about Black Canary?"

"She's fine as well," said Andros. "Carter managed to talk her out of it. He proved to her that hurting people under Lex's command didn't fit her idea of justice. He used some of the clips of what she was doing. I guess it worked fairly well, because she wants to join Hawkman and Star Girl…"

"Great," Chloe said. "Can you please tell Carter to keep them down there until I have time to talk to them? Because, despite the many problems it would solve, they can't murder Lex."

"I will pass on the message," Andros said.

"Ok, so that should be just about everyone," Chloe said. "Except—Right! Martian Man Hunter. You sent him to Ninja Ops, right? Have they gotten through to him?"

"They have," Andros answered. "Sensei made some kind of telepathic connection with him and convinced him we were the good guys. He's mostly back to himself, but you're going to need to fill in some gaps."

"I'm going to be filling in a lot of gaps for everyone," Chloe said. "But that'll have to wait."

"What about Clark?" Andros asked. "He's the last one."

"Lois and Oliver took him back to the farm," Chloe answered. "They're supposed to call me with an update when he wakes up. It's going to be a long few weeks with him once he does."

"Why?" Andros asked. "Do you really think he'll still be under the machine's influence?"

"No," Chloe said. "But he'll probably wish he was. And the rest of us are going to wish he couldn't remember the past week either…"

"Ah," Andros said. "Struggles with guilt?"

"You have no idea," Chloe sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know about that," said Andros. "You should ask Jason some time about the famous Oliver guilt complex."

"I'll have to do that," Chloe said. "How is everything up there?"

"Well—" Andros started to say, but he was interrupted.

In the background, Chloe could see Kim and Hayley. Kim was standing against a wall, her hands up as Hayley yelled at her. She looked extremely confused.

"I leave for five minutes," Hayley yelled. "Five minutes! And I come back and you're all over him! You had your chance and you blew it. So back off!"

"Hayley," Kim stammered, in shock, "I was just trying to help—"

"No!" Hayley snapped, taking another step closer. "We don't need your help. You've done enough. Stay away from Tommy."

"Umm… Hayley?" Trent said from behind her.

"What?" she snapped, spinning around. "Oh. Trent. What is it?"

"Conner is stuck again," he said, glancing back toward the infirmary.

"Again?" Hayley said. "Where this time?"

"He got his foot stuck in the back of the chair," Trent answered. "We're not really sure how, but he can't get it out."

Glaring back at Kim for a moment, Hayley took a deep breath.

"Alright," she said. "I'm coming."

She turned and stormed back down the hall toward the infirmary. When she was out of hearing, Trent looked back at Kim.

"You so owe Conner," he said. "Cause Hayley's gonna kill him."

Without another word, he walked away. Jason and Trini walked around the corner from where they had been listening.

"You really do," Jason said, watching Trent leave. "Conner stuck his foot in the chair on purpose. They didn't want Hayley to do anything she'd regret later."

"And she would regret hurting you," Trini said. "But it would be later."

"Much later," said Jason.

"But I don't understand," Kim said. "What is her problem?"

"Kim," Trini said. "They're an item. A serious item, and you're kind of all over tommy."

"What?" Kim exclaimed. "But I thought she was their tech."

"She is," Jason said. "But she and Tommy have known each other since college, and if he wasn't so slow they'd probably be married, or at least engaged, by now."

"But… Why didn't anyone say anything?" Kim asked.

"Because we all knew, or guessed," Trini answered. "Didn't you notice how they acted with each other?"

"I did," said Kim. "But I thought that was just how they were. I mean, she teased the kids a lot too."

Trini shook her head, looking over at Jason.

"I'm gonna go get the others," he said. "We can all go back to our house and give them some space."

"Right," Trini said. "Before Hayley gets Conner loose."

Jason headed in one direction while Trini and Kim headed the other way, still talking. Andros turned back to Chloe.

"As you can see," he said, "tempers are running a bit high."

"How is Tommy doing?" Chloe asked.


	26. What have I done?

Clark sped into Watchtower, stopping in surprise when he saw how dark it was. Chloe was usually still up, lights blazing while she worked on a late night project with Oliver asleep on a nearby chair or couch. But the only light he saw came from a small computer. Chloe was sitting in front of it, talking to someone. Clark listened for a minute, not wanting to interrupt, but hoping the conversation might tell him what was going on.

"I'm going to be filling in a lot of gaps for everyone," Chloe was saying. "But that'll have to wait."

"What about Clark?" the other person asked "He's the last one."

Clark recognized Andros' voice, but wasn't sure why Chloe was talking to him this late at night.

"Lois and Oliver took him back to the farm," Chloe answered. "They're supposed to call me with an update when he wakes up. It's going to be a long few weeks with him once he does."

"Why?" Andros asked. "Do you really think he'll still be under the machine's influence?"

Pictures started flashing through Clark's mind. Memories of the past week returning.

_Lex standing on his porch uncovering a piece of kryptonite—being strapped to a chair, unable to get away from the kryptonite—standing in Lex's office, listening to him giving orders…_

"No," Chloe said. "But he'll probably wish he was. And the rest of us are going to wish he couldn't remember the past week either…"

"Ah," Andros said. "Struggles with guilt?"

"You have no idea," Chloe sighed.

Clark could see her shaking her head. More memories kept pouring in.

_Kidnapping his teammates—Watching them struggle in the chair, asking how he could betray them—Attacking Batman and taking Robin—Tearing up downtown Metropolis, Green Arrow flying through the air while Lois watched in shock…_

"I don't know about that," said Andros. "You should ask Jason some time about the famous Oliver guilt complex."

"I'll have to do that," Chloe said. "How is everything up there?"

"Well—" Andros started to say, but he was interrupted by something.

Chloe and Andros were silent for a few minutes, focused on something that was happening on the Megaship. Clark shook his head, trying to force the images away. But they kept coming faster and faster.

_Fighting with the power rangers—Conner sprawled on the ground, barely moving—Kryptonite darts flying through the air—Buildings collapsing around him with Lex's voice in his ear—Tommy fighting back…_

"As you can see," Andros finally said, "tempers are running a bit high."

"How is Tommy doing?" Chloe asked.

"Clark really did a number on him," Andros said. "He has several broke bones a lot of brusieing and some internal bleeding we had to fix up. He's stable for now, but he's in a coma. If he comes out of this he will have to go though some very intense physical therapy."

_The teens taking off—Tommy fighting alone, changing powers—Holding Tommy against the wall, his hand around the ranger's throat…_

"I hope he'll be alright," Chloe said. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead. And the others probably would be, too."

_Storming Watchtower, alarms blaring—Chloe, Hayley, and Lois running as he ripped Watchtower apart—Knocking Chloe down the stairs and grabbing her by the throat, holding her in the air as she struggled to breath…_

"All we can do is wait," Andros said.

_Tommy morphing into the green ranger, launching himself at Clark—Pounding on Tommy as he stood, cornered—Lois leaping in the way as Tommy collapsed, yelling for him to kill her instead—Then pain and he was falling and Batman was there with the bracelet—Lois staring at him in shock as the world faded to black…_

Clark shook his head, trying to make the images disappear. Trying to forget what he was remembering. Not paying attention, he knocked over a chair that was still standing in the corner. Chloe whipped around, half jumping out of her chair. She froze when she saw Clark, shocked to see him.

"Clark?" she said, taking a step toward him.

"I—I'm—" he stammered, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry."

Clark sped out of the room, leaving behind a stunned Chloe.


	27. Checking in

"Great," Chloe muttered, staring into the empty fridge. "Now what am I supposed to eat for lunch?"

It was several weeks later. Watchtower had been restored to basic functions and the heroes had been allowed to come home. Chloe had spent most of the time in Watchtower, repairing her network and monitoring Lex's activity to make sure he wasn't going to make a counter strike.

"It's nice to have them back to normal," she sighed, straightening up. "But I would be nicer if Bart would leave something besides the condiments. I guess I'm going out for lunch."

Heading back up the stairs, Chloe grabbed her purse. But before she could get back down the stairs, the video call started going off. Sighing, Chloe headed back to the computer.

"If Oliver's checking in on me again I'm going to kill him," she grumbled, sitting down and answering the call.

It was Hayley calling from the Astro Megaship.

"Hayley!" Chloe exclaimed. "Is everything ok?"

"Tommy is awake," Hayley said, smiling. "He's still has quite a few broken bones, including several ribs. There's also a lot of bruising and muscle damage that's going to take a long time to heal. But at least he's awake and talking now. When he's not drugged…"

"That's great!" Chloe exclaimed. "It's really good to hear that. I'll pass on the news down here."

"Thanks," Hayley said. "I already called the rangers. The kids are going to come up when their classes are done for the week."

"How are they doing?" Chloe asked.

"They're doing fine," said Hayley. "Ethan should be able to get his cast off anytime now. We'll take a look while he's up here visiting. They've all been calling me every day to check on Tommy. So have the others."

Chloe smiled.

"Did they ever come up with a cover story?" Chloe asked. "I know things got a little hectic at the end."

"Yes, they did," Hayley answered. "Conner actually came up with it. They're telling everyone they went hiking in the mountains on spring break and had an accident during a climb."

"Not bad," Chloe said. "But what about you and Tommy?"

"Oh that was easy," Hayley said. "Trent has been running the café for me, and Ellen is covering for Tommy's absence from school."

"Ellen?" Chloe said, confused.

"Oh, sorry," said Hayley. "Elsa. She changed her name to Ellen now that she's no longer under Mesogog's control. When I called to tell her Tommy was in a coma she took care of everything. Something about one of the many favors she owes him."

"So everything is looking up, then," Chloe said.

"Yes," said Hayley. "How is your group doing?"

"They're all home now," Chloe said. "Although some of them, mostly Hawkman, were only released after promising that they wouldn't go after Lex. That would just cause more problems then I'm prepared to deal with right now."

"From everything you told us about him," said Hayley, "that really doesn't surprise me."

"It didn't surprise me either," Chloe said. "But he did finally agree, so Lightspeed released him. After they were all home we had a meeting to fill in the gaps. Most of us are on the same page now."

"Most?" Hayley said.

Chloe paused, taking a deep breath.

"I haven't seen Clark in three weeks," she said.

"Oh," said Hayley. "Feeling guilty?"

"Extremely," Chloe sighed. "He overheard something he shouldn't have while I was talking with Andros that first night and took off before I could stop him."

"Sounds like Tommy," Hayley said.

"That's what Andros said," Chloe answered. "But Tommy doesn't have an ice fortress that is nearly impossible to reach without the key, which Clark has in his possession. He's also been wearing the blue kryptonite bracelet."

"Give him time," Hayley said. "He'll come out of it. Just keep trying."

"We will," Chloe said. "But if Lois gets a hold of him while he's still human he may regret ever putting that bracelet back on."

"I would imagine," Hayley said with a smile. "I need to get back to Tommy now. I promised I'd let him know how everyone was as soon as I knew."

"Go ahead," Chloe said. "I'm going to find lunch, because Bart ate all of my food again."

"Isn't it nice to have them back?" Hayley asked, laughing.

"It is," Chloe said. "But I'm seriously considering booby-trapping the fridge."

"Good luck," Hayley said, signing off.

Sighing, Chloe looked at her purse. Shaking her head, she left it where it was sitting and started dialing to spread the news about Tommy.


	28. Visitors

"Be careful!" Chloe yelled, glaring up the stairs. "That is delicate equipment. So stop throwing it around like it's a pillow!"

Carter and AC froze, looking around at Chloe. Carter had been tossing equipment down the stairs to AC, who was making a pile for the others to move.

"Sorry, Chloe," AC said, walking up the stairs to get the next computer monitor.

Muttering to herself, Chloe looked around the room. There was chaos everywhere as they packed up the remnants of Watchtower, making room for the building's renovations.

"That's it," she snapped. "Bart! Stop touching things you're not supposed to. Courtney, help with something instead of playing with knick-knacks. And Victor—Oh. Sorry. Please keep working."

Victor shook his head, going back to packing the computer equipment. Courtney and Bart both set down the items they were holding and went to start moving the pile AC had made.

"That's it," Dinah snarled, storming back into the room. "If I catch one more person staring at me out there, heads are going to roll. Why is it that guys can't keep their eyes where they should be?"

"Relax, Dinah," Chloe said. "We'll be done loading the trucks soon enough. Bart! Get out of the fridge. We all need to eat lunch. If you really need something to eat right this second, go somewhere else."

"Aww, Chloster," Bart whined. "Come on."

"Don't make me padlock it shut again," Chloe threatened.

"Fine," he grumbled, shutting the door.

Chloe took a deep breath and headed up the stairs, looking for Oliver. She found him lounging in a chair trying to direct AC and Carter.

"Oliver!" Chloe snapped. "Get off of your lazy butt and help them carry boxes. I'm overseeing this project, not you."

"Wait a minute," Oliver said, sitting up. "But I'm the financer for this project. Since when does the banker—"

"Get up now," Chloe growled, glaring at him.

"I'm up," he said, jumping out of his seat. "Sorry, Chloe."

Muttering under her breath, Chloe went back down the stairs, picking up stray cords as she went. She dropped them in a box of cords that would have to be sorted later. Turning around, she caught a glimpse of Bart in the fridge again.

"Bart!" she yelled. "What did I say about the fridge? Go eat at your house if you're hungry. You'll be back in five minutes and you won't be underfoot."

"Geez, Chloe," Bart said. "You're awfully grouchy today."

"Well if everyone would just listen and cooperate I wouldn't have to be," Chloe snapped.

"I see everything is back to normal," a voice said behind her. "Is this a bad time?"

Chloe whipped around, ready to snap at the newcomer. Instead she froze for a moment in shock. Tommy and Hayley were standing there, Tommy leaning on a cane.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed. "What—Wait just a moment, please."

She turned back around to the heroes.

"Alright!" she yelled to the group. "Everyone stop what you're doing. Set everything down for now. Gently, Bart! If you break something else I'm going to let Carter be in charge of you for the rest of the afternoon."

Everyone froze, turning to look at Chloe. When they saw Tommy though, they all set their loads down and headed to greet him.

"Sorry about that," Chloe said. "What are you doing here? Aren't you still supposed to be in medical?"

"They let me out," Tommy said. "Guess I finally annoyed them enough."

"I wonder why," Hayley said, shaking her head.

"It's good to see you up and around," Oliver said, joining Chloe.

"Why don't we sit down?" Chloe said, looking around for some chairs. "We'll all be more comfortable."

"Can't," AC said. "The chairs are already in the trucks with the tables."

"All of them?" Chloe asked. "Even my chair?"

"Well, you did say everything had to go," Oliver said.

"So where were all of you planning on sitting for lunch?" said Chloe, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Guess we didn't really think it through…" AC said with a shrug.

"We'll be fine, Chloe," Tommy said. "I've been stuck in a bed for almost two months. It's nice to stretch my legs again."

"It would still be nice to have somewhere to sit," Chloe said, glaring at the others. "But we're in the middle of cleaning and moving so renovations can start. Most of this stuff is going into storage for now."

"Hayley was telling me about the new project," Tommy said. "How are you going to work the set-up?"

"Well, the bedrooms are going to remain as they are," Chloe said. "They weren't damaged at all and it'll be nice to have someone monitoring this place at all times. Especially if we start expanding our numbers. But we're going to completely renovate this main area, upstairs and downstairs, to fit the new equipment."

"Chloe's got all of us working overtime to get everything ready," Courtney said. "We get to start painting and repairs as soon as the move-out is done."

"Yeah," Bart grumbled. "And apparently snack breaks aren't allowed."

"If you weren't taking one every five minutes they would be," Chloe retorted, glaring at Bart.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Bart. "So what's with the new hairdo? Did the barber slip with the clippers?"

On one side of Tommy's head towards the back there was a strip of hair that was shaved away, revealing a fresh scar. Tommy turned to glare at Bart and whipped the cane around, whacking Bart in the stomach with it. He doubled over, gasping for air. Hayley rolled her eyes as Tommy leaned back on the cane again.

"He can barely walk," she said, "but he can still use a weapon."

"Great shot!" AC said, laughing as Bart grumbled. "Maybe now he'll keep his mouth shut."

"I've had practice," Tommy said with a shrug. "Ah…"

He grimaced, leaning forward slightly as pain shot through his side.

"Tommy," Hayley scolded. "You're supposed to be taking it easy. Remember? You were released on the understanding that you'd take it slow and relax."

"I'm fine, Hayley," Tommy answered, straightening back up. "They wouldn't have let me out if I wasn't."

"They let you leave because you were driving them insane," she said. "You still have a lot of recovering to do."

"A little pain isn't going to kill me," said Tommy.

"You completely overtaxed your healing abilities," Hayley retorted, glaring at him. "Remember what Dana said? If it hadn't been for the healing boost you got each time you morphed, you would have died."

"But I didn't," Tommy said. "And I'm not going to."

"If you keep pushing yourself too hard you could," Hayley said.

"So, not to interrupt," Oliver said before Tommy could answer. "And please don't hit me. But why did they shave part of your head?"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Well," Hayley said, "when they were going through some of the tests, they found that Tommy had some bleeding in his brain. So he had to have a surgery called a craniotomy in order for them to drain the blood."

"Do they not see the scar?" Tommy asked, looking at Hayley. "I told you that you should have gotten me a hat."

"You don't need a hat," Hayley said, rolling her eyes again. "It's fine."

"Then a bandana," he said. "Anything to cover it up."

"I wasn't going all the way back to the house just to get you a bandana," Hayley said. "We're going home right after this anyways. And it doesn't look bad."

"You're not the one walking around with part of your head shaved," Tommy snapped back.

"Ok," Hayley said. "Then next time we can go straight home instead of stopping to visit. You were the one who insisted on coming here first."

"Whoa," Oliver said, interrupting. "Please don't kill each other. We're really sorry if this whole mess put a strain on your relationship."

"What?" said Tommy.

Hayley laughed.

"Don't worry, Oliver," she said. "Actually, we're better than ever. We're engaged now."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "Since when?"

"Umm… Two weeks ago?" Tommy said, glancing at Hayley.

"Yes," she said, patting his arm. "It's been two weeks."

"If it's only been two weeks and you're already forgetting the day you're really gonna have some problems," Oliver said with a grin.

"Well, I was only semi-conscious at the time," Tommy said. "I was still in a lot of pain and taking medication that had me really out of it. So the whole thing is kind of fuzzy, just like most of the past two months."

"So what did you do then?" Bart asked with a grin. "Stick your foot in it while you were asleep?"

This time Hayley whacked Bart with the cane, taking it out of Tommy's hands. Bart winced and darted away.

"No," Tommy said, taking the cane back from Hayley, who was glaring at Bart. "She asked me."

"Really?" said Chloe.

"Well, after everything that happened I decided I wasn't waiting anymore," Hayley asked.

"In my defense," Tommy said. "I already had the ring. And I already had a plan. It just got a little messed up."

"You already said yes," Hayley said with a smile. "No taking it back now."

"I'm not taking it back," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Anyways, where's Clark? Hayley said he was struggling with the guilt and I was hoping to talk to him."

The JLA members exchanged glances before turning to look at Chloe. She took a deep breath.

"Alright," she said. "Why don't all of you go find something to eat for lunch? You'll probably have to go out since I think Bart cleaned out most of the fridge again."

"Got it, Chloe," Victor said. "We'll be back soon."

"Keep an eye on each other," Chloe said as everyone except Oliver headed out. "We'll pick back up on the packing in an hour. And don't forget to ask John if he wants anything."

"Chloe," Tommy said, frustration audible in his voice. "Where is Clark?"

"Tommy," Chloe said. "None of us have seen Clark since the night of the battle."

"Then where has he been?" said Tommy.

"He spends most of his time in his ice fortress," Chloe said. "And there isn't a good way to follow him there when he's got the key in his possession. Lois has caught a glimpse of him at the farm once or twice, but that's it. If we could just get that stupid key away from him, and the bracelet, we might be able to snap him out of it. But we haven't been able to corner him."

"I'm going to go talk to him," Tommy said, turning to leave.

But he turned too fast and doubled over in pain again.

"What did I say about taking it slow?" Hayley exclaimed, taking hold of one of his arms.

"Sorry, Hayley," Tommy said. "But I can't let Clark keep beating himself up over this."

"He'll come around eventually," Chloe said. "I hope. He usually does."

"If he's anything like Tommy," Hayley said. "It's going to be a while before things are back to normal."

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed. "I'm not that bad."

"That's because you didn't have an ice fortress," Hayley said, leaning her head on his shoulder as she supported him. "All you had was your uncle's cabin, and all of your friends could get there easily enough."

"I don't know if things will ever be back to normal for us," Chloe said, shaking her head. "Clark isn't our only problem."

"Did something else happen?" Tommy asked, concerned.

"Not yet," Chloe answered. "But it's only a matter of time. Lex may have silenced all of his employees, but he's still out there. And he knows their identities. Everything about them. The only ones he knows nothing about are Oliver, Batman, and I."

"How much does he know?" asked Hayley.

"Too much," Oliver answered. "And all of us have something to lose."

"As long as Lex has that information," Chloe said, "the whole team is in danger. Most of them stay here in Watchtower now, afraid to go home just in case he's waiting for them. Even Courtney stays away from home as much as possible. Her parents are worried, but they're safer if she stays away."

"I'll see what I can do," Hayley said. "But short of completely erasing their identities and giving them new ones, I doubt I'll be able to keep Lex away for good."

"Thanks, Hayley," Chloe said. "If I could just get Clark to come back we might at least be able to destroy his brain-drain machine with his help, but no one else has been able to get close. It's too well guarded, and I don't want to risk losing anyone again."

"Excuse me, Chloe," John said from behind her.

Chloe turned around in surprise.

"What is it, John?" she asked, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"We have a visitor," he answered.

"Where?" Chloe asked, not seeing anyone with him.

John pointed behind her. Spinning back around, Chloe found herself face-to-face with Batman.

"Batman!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how things were moving," he answered.

"We're on a lunch break right now," Chloe said, looking around. "But we should be done this afternoon."

Batman nodded, turning to Tommy.

"Dr. Oliver," he said.

"Batman," Tommy said, nodding back. "Chloe was just telling us about the current issue with Lex."

Batman didn't answer. He just looked at Tommy.

"I always thought the best way to handle issues like this," Tommy continued. "Was to make it disappear. Replace it with something else."

Hayley whipped around to glare at Tommy, but he ignored her and kept looking at Batman.

"Understood," Batman finally answered.

The two of them exchanged looks again. Then Batman turned to leave. Chloe and Oliver looked between the two of them, bewildered.

"Tommy!" Hayley exclaimed when Batman was gone.

"What?" said Tommy, trying to look innocent.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"I didn't do anything," he said. "Just having a conversation."

"That wasn't much of a conversation," Oliver said.

"We understood each other," Tommy said with a shrug.

"So did I," said Hayley, glaring.

"I said nothing you can prove," Tommy said.

"Mmhmm…" said Hayley.

"Do you have the feeling we missed something important?" Oliver asked Chloe.

"Oh I know we did," she said. "Do we want to know?"

"No," Hayley answered, shaking her head. "But your problem shouldn't be a problem much longer."

"You're right," Chloe said. "I don't want to know. In fact, the less I know the better."

"Anyways," Hayley said. "We need to get going. The others are probably at the house waiting already. And stressing out since we aren't there already."

Tommy groaned.

"You let them in the house?" he asked. "They're going to swarm me. And Trini is going to make me sit down and not move."

"No, I did not let them in the house," Hayley said. "I've been with you. And that's probably true. But you're going to be doing a lot of sitting for the next few months, so get used to it."

"Hayley," Tommy said. "I'm going to be fine. It's not going to kill me to start exercising and moving around. I've been worse. The last time I was in a coma I was up and fighting the same day."

"You have not been worse," Hayley retorted. "And you will be sitting and relaxing until Dana tells you otherwise. Now let's get back before Jason starts calling and asking where we are."

"Alright," Tommy said. "But Conner and Ethan are going to be in so much trouble."

"Conner and Ethan didn't let them in," Hayley said. "Trent has the keys. I changed the locks, so he's under strict instructions not to let either of them touch the keys."

"Hmm… I've been meaning to do that," Tommy said.

"I decided that would be the best way to give you some peace and quiet," Hayley said. "That way they can't invade without permission. At least for a little while, since I'm sure they'll get copies eventually."

"It was great seeing you both," Chloe said. "We'll try and come out there for a visit soon. But we're going to be pretty busy with everything here."

"Don't worry," Tommy said. "We'll be back to see how everything's going."

Waving goodbye, Tommy and Hayley headed out the door. Tommy moved a lot slower than normal, leaning heavily on the cane as he walked. Hayley stayed right next to him as they left the room. Taking a deep breath, Chloe looked around the room and then at Oliver. John had disappeared again.

"Alright," she said. "Let's go get lunch before the others get back. We have a lot of moving left to do before the end of the day."


	29. Intervention

"I'm going to run another series of tests," Chloe said to Batman on the video screen. "Hopefully I can pin down why that tube won't connect to the network. I'll be up later to do some more programming. Oh. Robin?"

"What's up, Chloe?" he said, popping onto the screen behind Batman.

"Stop trying to hack into the network while I am running repairs," she said. "You're slowing it down."

"Got it," Robin said.

Chloe signed off and leaned back in her chair. Everything was almost ready, but there were still a few glitches to work out. Standing up, she stretched and turned to head down the stairs.

"Hayley!" Chloe exclaimed, jumping backward.

She had turned around to see Hayley standing behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked.

"We came by to visit," Hayley answered.

"We?" said Chloe.

"Oh, right," said Hayley. "You haven't had contact with Clark since our last phone call, right?"

"Right," Chloe sighed. "It's been three months now and I haven't heard anything from him. Although Lex has had a miraculous case of amnesia that allowed everyone to go home worry free."

"Well that's good," Hayley said, smiling. "I'm sure the quiet is nice."

"So where's Tommy?" Chloe asked.

"They're out at the farm setting up an ambush for Clark," Hayley said. "I guess it's technically an intervention, but they have to start it as an ambush to keep him from disappearing."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Don't worry," said Hayley. "They'll be fine."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Chloe muttered. "And just who does 'they' consist of?"

"Just the six original power rangers," Hayley said. "Even Billy. He came back from Aquatar to visit Tommy, so we thought now would be as good a time as any."

"Oh boy," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"They know what they're doing," Hayley said.

"Did anyone make sure Lois wasn't at the farm?" Chloe asked. "Because it wouldn't be a good idea to let her walk in on the intervention."

"I think so," Hayley said. "But they didn't tell me the whole plan."

"Great," Chloe muttered. "I'm going to call Lois. Wait a minute. Did you say Kim was with them?"

"What? Oh, yes," Hayley answered. "Once I explained to her that Tommy and I were engaged she managed to pull herself together. She actually started scolding him for not doing it sooner. So we've worked out our differences. I still don't trust her, but we're as good as we can be."

* * *

Clark sighed, running a hand through his hair as he headed into the barn, the blue kryptonite bracelet shifting as his arm moved. He had come back to the farm after Lois left for work that morning. Before going out to do chores, he had hidden the key in the loft. Having finished in the fields, he was heading back to get the key so he could head back to the ice fortress before Lois came home. He headed up the stairs to the loft and turned on the light.

"Hi, Clark," Tommy said.

Clark jumped backward in surprise. Tommy was sitting on the couch in the loft, a cane lying across his lap, watching him.

"How long have you been here?" Clark asked, glancing over at the bookshelf.

"A few hours," Tommy answered. "We saw you working in the fields. Gave me some time to go through your stuff."

Tommy held up a hand, showing Clark that he had found the key. Slipping it into one of his pockets, he waited for Clark's reaction.

"I need that," Clark said finally.

"No, I don't think you do," Tommy said.

Shaking his head, Clark turned around and headed back to the stairs. Kim and Trini were standing at the top, blocking his way.

"I don't think so," Trini said, shaking a finger at Clark.

Clark tried heading in another direction and Zach stepped into his way.

"You're not leaving," he said. "You're pretty much surrounded."

To prove the point, Jason and Billy stepped out to complete the circle as Tommy stood up from the couch, wincing slightly as he straightened.

"Mmmm… Leg asleep," he muttered.

The rangers all watched Clark as they waited for him to say something.

Clark turned around looking for a way to slip out of the circle of rangers.

"It is highly improbable you will escape while not using your abilities," Billy said looking at him. The others smiling at him, from all sides.

"What are you guys doing here?" Clark finally asked, looking at Tommy.

"I guess you could say we're having an intervention," Tommy answered.

"You need to stop being stupid," Trini added, glaring at Clark.

"You shouldn't be here," Clark said, shaking his head.

"And why not?" Tommy asked.

Clark didn't answer, he just looked away.

"You can't hide from the world forever, Clark," Tommy said. "Believe me, it doesn't work."

"Nope," said Jason. "Someone always comes to find you. Although I have to admit your hiding place is a little harder to get to than Tommy's cabin. At least we can drive to his."

"Well excuse me for not having a super-secret ice fortress," Tommy said. "I'll have to put that on my Christmas list."

"I don't think so dude," Zach said. "You already have a super-cool batcave under your house. You don't get anything else."

"I don't think you should call it the batcave, Zach," Jason said. "Batman might be offended."

"He would," Clark said, frowning. "His is a lot bigger."

"You've been there?" Zach exclaimed.

"Yes—Wait. How did we get on this subject?" Clark asked.

"We do that sometimes," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you and Oliver have done things like this plenty of times. Although, you haven't seen him in three months."

"For good reason," Clark said. "I'm too dangerous to be around. Especially without the bracelet."

"Right," Tommy said. "Thank you for reminding me. Kim?"

Nodding, Kim stepped up from behind Clark and snatched the bracelet off of his wrist before he could react.

"Ooo! It's so pretty! I could take this off the leather and set it in a nice sliver bracelet. Or make it into a necklace-" she started looking at it from different angles.

"Put it away, Kim," Tommy said.

"Oh, right," said Kim.

She pulled a small pouch out of her pocket and put the bracelet inside, sticking the pouch back into her pocket. Clark looked at her in shock.

"I need that," he said quickly.

Jason held up a hand shaking his head.

"You're never getting that back dude," Jason said.

Clark just shook his head sighing

"No, really," said Tommy. "You don't know Kim and jewelry. Trust me, you'll never get it back."

"Hey!" Kim said. "Be nice."

"I don't have to be," Tommy responded smirking. "We're not dating. I don't have to do anything you say."

"But you always used to do things with me," Kim said. "You even loved going to the mall with me."

"Yeah, I liked going to the park, talking, and hanging out. The mall, only for like the first hour," Tommy said. "Then there is only so much i guy can take."

"Wow, Tommy's got a backbone," Zach said with a grin. "Never thought I'd see that."

Tommy turned around to glare at Zach, tapping his cane on the palm of one hand in a threatening motion.

"I'm gonna go stand by Jason," said Zach, scooting away from Tommy.

"Perhaps we should return to the topic at hand." Billy suggested looking at them all

"Are you guys always like this?" Clark interrupted.

"Pretty much," Tommy answered. "It's how we keep things light."

"Yeah," Zach said. "We should invite him to a ranger reunion. Then he'd really see how we work."

"One condition," Tommy said, holding up a hand. "I'm not involved in the planning. No phone calls, no organizing, no nothing, and it will not be at my house."

"Aww, come on Tommy," Zach said. "You have the whole network, and the giant secluded backyard."

"Nope," Tommy answered, shaking his head. "Not involved."

"Fine, we'll get Hayley to help us," said Zach.

"She's going to be too busy planning the wedding," Tommy said. "Good luck prying her away."

"Wedding?" Clark interrupted.

"Oh, Hayley and I are engaged," Tommy said.

"Yeah," Jason said. "That's one good thing that came out of everything. He says he had a plan already, but if you hadn't gone crazy-psycho on everyone he probably would have chickened out."

"She asked him anyways," Zach said. "Although he was high when she asked."

"I wasn't high," Tommy protested.

"Dude, you were talking about Rita and Zed running around on the ceiling," Zach laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't think Hayley was a putty."

"Ok, so I was high," Tommy said. "But I was on so many different medications I don't even remember what they all were."

"Probably a mixture off—" Billy started to say.

"I don't need to know, Billy," Tommy interrupted. "I really don't need to know."

"I don't understand!" Clark burst out in frustration. "Why aren't any of you yelling at me?"

"Why would we be yelling at you?" Billy asked.

"Because I almost killed Tommy," Clark said. "And Jason. You should be angry with me."

It was silent for a moment as the rangers looked at each other and Clark. Then they all burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Clark demanded.

"If we stayed mad at everyone who was brain-washed and tried to kill us," Tommy said, "we'd all hate each other. Not to mention all of the other rangers."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, confused.

"We've all been brain-washed at some point or another," Jason said. "The bad guys seem to like turning us against each other."

"I haven't tried to kill any of you," Zach said. "Never been brain-washed."

"Lies," Tommy said. "You tried to kill Kimberly while I was unconscious, remember? It was the four of you versus her."

"Right!" Kim exclaimed. "That was not fun."

"That doesn't count," Zach protested. "It was for like ten minutes."

"You were trying to kill me," Kim said. "It counts."

"Besides, I had to come in and stop you," Tommy said. "You certainly didn't snap yourself out of it."

"Fine," Zach grumbled. "But no one tops you, Tommy."

"Thanks, Zach," he said. "I think we all knew that."

"I'm just saying," Zach said. "Crazy, psycho aliens seem to like using you against us. No offense, Clark."

Clark just stared, not sure how to react to what he was hearing.

"Anyways," Tommy said. "We're not mad at you, Clark. How can we be mad at you without being mad at ourselves?"

"It's still too risky," Clark said. "It wasn't just you I almost killed. I almost killed the kids. And Chloe and Hayley."

"And Lois?" Tommy interrupted. "All of them know what they're doing each time they choose to be around people like us. There are always risks involved, but that's their decision to make.

"And what if no one is there to stop me next time?" Clark asked. "What if I actually kill someone? The world is better off without me. No one can use me to hurt other people if they can't find me."

"So you think hiding from the world is going to fix the problem?" Jason said. "It didn't work when Tommy left. The bad guys are still going to keep doing bad things, Clark. Someone has to stand up to them."

"He's right," Trini said. "And not everyone has the chance you do. You have the power and ability to make a bigger difference than a lot of other people. So don't throw it away."

"I don't see it as throwing it away if I'm saving people from getting hurt," Clark said, shaking his head.

"That's it," Tommy snapped. "No more of this. Clark, you're taking the easy way out. You're scared. Scared that You aren't going to be good enough to save the people you care about. Maybe you're denying it right now, but you know they aren't scared of you. You know they'll forgive you, because they already have every other time you've messed up or gotten in trouble. Stop avoiding them and taking the easy way out. Face up to it and get over it, because every single one of them is waiting for you to come back."

Clark stared at Tommy in shock. He didn't speak for a moment, trying to process everything Tommy had just thrown at him.

"He's right," Jason said. "Your powers and abilities might make you different, but they've already accepted that and everything that comes with it. The good and the bad. They had every chance to take you down for good, Clark, but they cared too much to take that step."

"Your friends, Clark," Tommy said, "including us, chose not to take the easy way out. We took the hard way because we cared. No one is walking away from you. You're walking away from them."

Clark still didn't say anything. Jason clapped a hand to Tommy's shoulder.

"I think the message finally sunk in, bro," he said.

"Shut up, Jase," Tommy said, glaring at him.

"Sorry, bro," said Jason.

"Perhaps we should be going now," Billy said looking at them

Tommy nodded and the rest of the rangers headed for the stairs.

"You coming?" Jason asked Tommy, pausing at the top.

"Go ahead," Tommy said. "I'll catch up to you later."

"Alright," Jason said, heading down the stairs after the others.

Tommy and Clark both stood in silence for a few minutes. They listened to the other rangers climbing into the car and the engine starting. When the sounds of the car had faded away, Clark finally spoke.

"So you have more to say to me?" he asked.

"Some," Tommy said. "Are you going to go see Lois?"

"Not right now," Clark said, shaking his head.

"Hmm…" said Tommy. "Are you going to go to Watchtower then?"

"Maybe later," Clark said.

"Later?" Tommy said, glancing at his watch. "How about—now?"

"What?" Clark said.

"They were my ride," said Tommy, jerking his head in the direction the car had gone. "And I'm not walking back to Metropolis with this thing."

Tommy held up his cane, waiting for Clark to respond.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Clark asked.

Tommy shrugged.

"So what if I decide not to go?" Clark said. "I could always just stay here."

"Then you get the pleasure of remaining in my company, untill Lois gets home" Tommy answered. "Because I'm not giving the key back to you."

"Fine," Clark grumbled. "Get in the truck. I'll get the keys."


	30. Going to Watchtower

_The last chapter is here! That's right the final chapter in the "Misadventures of Lois Lane" series! I hope you all have enjoyed what we have put out there and perhaps keep an eye out for some of the other up coming stories! Thanks for sticking with us and please tell us what you think! Enjoy  
_

* * *

Clark pulled up in front of Watchtower and parked the truck.

"Alright," he said. "We're here."

"Good," said Tommy.

But instead of climbing out of the truck, Tommy reached over and snatched the keys from the ignition.

"Hey!" Clark exclaimed as Tommy stuck the truck keys in his pocket. "What are you doing?"

"Did you really think I was just going to let you drive on home?" Tommy asked. "Might as well come inside, cause you're not getting the keys back until I decide you've earned them."

"You do realize I can just run home, right?" Clark asked.

"But are you going to?" Tommy said.

Clark didn't answer for a moment, just looking at Tommy. Grumbling, he finally climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut.

"Alright," Clark said. "I'll come upstairs. But just for a few minutes."

Tommy nodded and climbed out himself, heading inside with Clark trailing behind him.

"Stupid thing!" Chloe exclaimed, kicking the bottom of the archway. "Why won't you connect?"

"Chloe!" Tommy called from the elevator. "I brought you a present!"

She whipped around to see him watching her.

"Tommy!" she said, glancing back at the arch. "Please tell me you didn't see that…"

"I saw nothing," he said with a grin.

"So what did you bring me?" she asked. "I hope it'll make this stupid thing connect right."

"Probably not," Tommy answered. "But it'll still make you happy."

"Alright, I came upstairs," Clark said walking out behind Tommy when the elevator opened again. "Can I have my keys back now?"

"Clark!" Chloe exclaimed.

She ran over to him and threw her arms around him. Clark froze for a moment, but then he hugged her back.

"Hey, Chloe," he said quietly.

Chloe stepped back and looked up at him.

"You big idiot!" she exclaimed, punching him in the shoulder. "Ow! Ow! Ow! You're not wearing the bracelet anymore!"

Chloe shook her hand, trying to make the pain go away.

"Kim took it," Tommy said. "Don't ask."

"Sorry, Chloe," Clark said.

"Oh, here," Tommy said, pulling the truck keys and the other key out of his pocket and handing them to Chloe. "These are for you."

"Thanks!" Chloe said, putting them in her own pocket.

"Wait a minute," Clark said. "Those are mine."

"And you'll get them back," Chloe said. "Eventually. Once I'm sure you're not going to take off on me like that again."

"Come on, Chloe," Clark said.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head.

The elevator door opened again and Oliver walked in.

"I'm ready to go, Chloe," he said. "Clark!"

"Hey Oliver," Clark said.

"When did you get here?" he asked. "And have you seen Lois yet?"

"Just now," Clark said. "And no. Why?"

"No big reason," Oliver said with a shrug. "But she's got Chloe's kryptonite, so good luck."

"If she doesn't want me around, I'll leave her alone," Clark said. "She doesn't have to carry the kryptonite."

"Actually, avoiding her will probably just make it worse," Oliver said. "When I asked her about it she said something about shoving it somewhere very painful once she had you cornered."

"Chloe," Tommy said, interrupting. "Where's Hayley?"

"Oh, she went up to Watchtower," Chloe said. "She's helping me run tests from that end."

"I think I'm going to go join her," Tommy said, strolling away toward a second archway a little further down the room.

"But this is Watchtower," Clark said, glancing around in confusion. "I mean, I know I did a lot of damage but the building is still in one piece."

"Not anymore," Oliver said, shaking his head.

"Then where is it?" Clark asked. "And why is Tommy heading further into the building instead of out the door?"

"Watchtower's up there," Oliver said, pointing up.

Clark looked up toward the ceiling, even more confused than before. Oliver laughed.

"You're not going to see it from here," he said. "Even with your x-ray vision."

"What are you talking about?" Clark said, getting frustrated.

"Well, if you had been here for the past three months you'd know what was going on," Oliver answered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Clark," Chloe intervened, glaring at Oliver. "Watchtower is in space."

"What?" Clark exclaimed. "How?"

"Well, it was a group project," she said. "Bruce and Oliver supplied the funds. The space rangers helped us with the station, along with some of their friends. It's a safer location than here. Plus, it allows us to function on a more global scale."

"Global?" Clark said, not sure what to make of everything.

"Exactly," Chloe said. "We can expand and help people everywhere instead of just in Metropolis and the surrounding cities. And it's a lot harder access a space station, which gives us more breathing room for emergencies."

"So then how do we get up there?" Clark asked. "And where did Tommy go?"

"Oh, right," Chloe said, placing a hand on the archway she was standing next to. "Zeta-beam technology. These arches are called Zeta-tubes. They transport us to and from Watchtower, or anywhere else we decide to set up the tubes."

"So Tommy used one of these to go up to Watchtower?" said Clark.

"Yep," said Oliver. "We can head up—"

The elevator door opened, interrupting Oliver and Lois walked in, ranting.

"If that stupid little miss kitty-kat reporter asks me about Clark one more time," she fumed, walking right past Clark, "I'm going to take those fresh baked cookies and—"

"Lois," Chloe interrupted.

"What?" Lois snapped, spinning around. "Clark!"

She walked toward him, rummaging in her purse.

"You are so dead," she said, glaring at him. "Do you know what I've had to deal with for the past three months at work? Tess won't stop riding me about you being gone. And we've gone through so much to cover your butt. And, to top it all off, your Miss Kitty-Kat reporter won't stop following me!"

She pulled a small pouch out of her purse, but Chloe snatched it out of her hand. Clark just stared, not sure what to do.

"Thank you," Chloe said, tucking it away.

"Chloe!" Lois exclaimed. "Give that back."

"Not going to happen," said Chloe. "I told you not to touch it last week and you didn't listen. I'm not letting you use it on Clark."

"Fine," Lois snapped. "Then I don't need it."

Whipping back around to Clark, Lois swung a hand with the intention of slapping Clark. But he grabbed her wrist, stopping her before she could hurt herself.

"You're not wearing the bracelet," she said, looking at his wrist.

"No," Clark said, finally speaking.

"Well, I can't hit you," Lois said, trying to pull her wrist away. "But I can talk you into submission—"

"Lois," Chloe interrupted again. "Tommy already took care of it. That's why Clark is here."

Clark let go of Lois and she glared at him.

"So why didn't anyone tell me?" she asked.

"You didn't give us a chance," Oliver answered.

"Anyways," Chloe said. "I need to go call Hayley and see if her tests found anything, because mine didn't."

Chloe headed up the stairs, the other three trailing behind her. Lois had attached herself to Clark's arm, trying to make sure he didn't go anywhere without her. Sitting down at the computer, Chloe dialed. Hayley answered, appearing on the video screen.

"Any luck?" Chloe asked.

"Not yet," said Hayley. "But I'm still checking. It's good to see you again, Clark."

Clark nodded.

"I'm not having any luck down here, either," Chloe sighed. "Maybe something is disconnected? I'll have to check."

"Hey Chloe!" Robin said, popping onto the screen. "You'll never guess what I found on the hard drive. It's the best video ever! Oh. Hi Clark!"

"What video?" Chloe asked, confused.

Hayley just shook her head and smiled as Robin stole the keyboard from her.

"This one!" he said as a video popped up on the screen.

They all stared in shock for a moment as the video of Oliver dancing to "Go, Go Power Rangers" started playing.

"Chloe!" Oliver exclaimed. "I thought you deleted that!"

"So did I," Chloe said. "Apparently I missed something."

"I'm gonna kill that little brat when I get my hands on him," Oliver muttered, heading back down the stairs.

Shaking her head, Chloe sighed.

"I guess we're coming up," Chloe said. "Clark hasn't seen Watchtower yet anyways, so we might as well."

"See you in a minute," Hayley said, signing off.

They followed Oliver down the stairs, but not into the Zeta-tube.

"Oliver," Chloe said as they headed into the other tube, "that's the broken one."

He had just walked inside and was looking around in confusion as to why he hadn't gone anywhere. There was a flash of light and suddenly they were walking out into Watchtower. Batman was sitting at one of the computers near Hayley. Tommy was sitting next to Hayley, watching her on working on the computer. As Lois, Clark, and Chloe walked in, the computer announced them.

_"A3, Lois Lane," _it announced first, and then an alarm started going off. _"Unauthorized entrance."_

Clark looked up in surprise when he heard the alarms go off.

"Sorry!" Hayley exclaimed from across the room. "I forgot you haven't been entered in the system yet. I'll turn it off."

She hit a few keys and the alarm turned off.

"I see you've decided to stop sulking," Batman said, glancing briefly over his shoulder.

Clark shrugged, not sure what to say.

_"08, Peter Pan,"_ the computer announced as Oliver came in.

Everyone except Batman looked around in surprise. Tommy burst out laughing as Oliver whipped around to glare at Robin.

"You are so dead, kid," he growled.

Robin just cackled, launching himself into the rafters and taking off. Oliver chased after him, jumping into the rafters. Chloe and Lois started laughing too, Lois hanging on to Clark's arm for support. Hayley was covering her mouth with one hand, trying not to laugh, as Batman continued to ignore them.

"Tommy," Hayley scolded, still trying not to laugh.

"You're laughing too, Hayley," he said. "Stop trying to hide it. Besides this is just payback for the boomerang comment."

Giving up, Hayley let herself laugh.

"I'm sorry, Oliver," she said. "But it wasn't me this time."

"I know who it was," Oliver snapped, still chasing Robin. "It was the Boy Wonder and he's gonna pay for it."

Robin leapt down out of the rafters and sprinted across the floor, Oliver close on his heels. Running straight toward Clark, Robin didn't slow down as he flung himself in the air, grabbing Clark's arm and swinging around to land on Clark's back. Oliver wasn't paying attention and ran straight into Clark, falling backward. Cackling louder, Robin continued to cling to Clark's back as he laughed.

"Ah," Oliver groaned. "Mmm… That would have hurt a lot less if you were still wearing that bracelet, Clark."

The group started laughing harder. Clark glanced down at Oliver and then up at Robin. Unable to stop himself, Clark started laughing too. Everyone looked at him in surprise for a moment, and then they were all laughing. Robin slipped off of Clark's back onto the ground. Pulling Lois closer, Clark wrapped his arms around her as Chloe reached down to pull Oliver to his feet. They moved over to join Hayley and Tommy at the computer.

"So why didn't the computer recognize you, Chloe?" Clark asked.

"Oh, it recognizes me," Chloe answered. "I just don't have a designation yet. We're having trouble deciding on one."

"You're Watchtower," Clark said, frowning.

"Not anymore," Chloe said, shaking her head. "Watchtower is too big now to be one person."

Oliver put an arm around Chloe's shoulder, giving her a quick hug. In the background, the computer started talking again as the rest of the JLA came in.

_"04, Impulse. 06, Aquaman. 05, Cyborg. 09, Hawkman. 03, Star Girl. 13, Black Canary. 07, Martian Manhunter."_

"Clark!" Bart exclaimed, zipping over to him. "You would come back once all the heavy lifting was done."

"And what heavy lifting did you do?" Carter asked, glaring at Bart.

"Yeah," AC said. "I didn't see you helping us moving things."

"I helped," Bart protested.

"Bart," Chloe said. "The only things you lifted came from the fridge. Which I'm going to put a passcode lock on if you can't control yourself."

"Aww… Chloe," Bart said.

She raised an eyebrow and he wandered away, muttering to himself.

"Anyways, I need to go help Hayley," Chloe said. "Once we get that stupid Zeta-tube working, Watchtower will be officially online."

She hurried away and joined Hayley at the computer. They started talking quietly, trying to figure out the glitch.

"Cyborg," Chloe called. "Can you run back down to the transport station and double check the wiring? We can't find anything wrong in the programming."

"On it, Chloe," Cyborg answered, heading back out through the Zeta-tubes.

Bart suddenly let out a yelp, jumping backwards as Robin landed right in front of him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I hate when you do that!"

"I would say sorry," Robin said. "But it's too much fun seeing the look on your face."

"One of these days I'm gonna scare you back, kid," Bart said, glaring at Robin.

"Yeah, sure," Robin said with a grin. "I bet you can't even beat me up to the ceiling."

"Sure I can," Bart said. "And I'll prove it."

"Alright," said Robin. "Ready? Go!"

Bart immediately started running in a tight circle, trying to get enough momentum going to lift him upward toward the ceiling, while Robin ran to one side and used the wall to launch himself toward the rafters. A wind started picking up in the room as Bart continued to run.

"Bart!" Chloe yelled. "Knock it off! You're creating a wind tunnel. And if you break any of this equipment, I'm expelling you from Watchtower. And I don't mean through the Zeta-tubes."

Bart came to an immediate halt.

"But Chloe," he said in shock. "That would kill me."

"Then I guess you'd better not break anything," she said, glaring at him.

"I found the problem with the Zeta-tube," Cyborg said, suddenly popping up on the screen. "For some reason, there was part of a peanut butter sandwich stuck under the cover of the control panel. It must have been dropped in there right before we put the cover on and it messed up some of the wiring. But I fixed everything."

"BART!" Chloe yelled, spinning back around.

AC was looking around in surprise.

"He was just right here," AC said. "I don't know where he went though."

"He's still here," Batman said.

"When I get my hands on him," Chloe muttered. "Ready to test it, Cyborg?"

"Coming up now," he answered.

A moment later, the computer announced him again.

_"05, Cyborg."_

"Finally," Chloe sighed. "I was beginning to think we'd never finish."

"Watchtower is officially online," Hayley said with a smile.

"There's just one more thing left to do then," Tommy said, standing up.

He walked over to Clark and held out a small metal object.

"What is this?" Clark asked, taking the item from Tommy.

"That's your key, essentially," Tommy said. "It's the device that will allow the computer to recognize you when you enter or leave Watchtower. No one but you can use it. Your designation is 01, The Blur."

Hayley left the computer and joined Tommy.

"You're in charge now, Clark," Tommy continued. "This is where we take our leave."

"What?" Clark said, surprised. "Wait. Why am I in charge? Chloe is the one who always directs us."

"I'm going to be a little busy, Clark," Chloe said.

"Doing what?" he asked, still bewildered.

"There are a lot of people out there who can still use the help of the Isis Foundation," Chloe answered. "And who could be a big help to us up here. I'm going to be out in the field finding those people and helping them find where they need to be. So I'll still be around, but I can't be in charge anymore. It's someone else's turn."

"And we'll still come around to visit," Tommy said. "Besides, this was never our team. It was always yours. So now it's time to see where you can take it. May the Power protect you all."

He and Hayley stepped into the Zeta-tube, disappearing. Clark stared after them for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he turned around. Everyone was watching him, waiting for him to say something. Even Bart, who had come back and was standing as far away from Chloe as he possibly could without leaving the room. Looking around at his friends and teammates, Clark took a step toward them.

"Are you guys sure?" he asked.

"Oh come on, boyscout," Oliver said. "If we weren't sure, we wouldn't have suggested it. We've been planning this for a while now."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, looking at Clark expectantly.

"Alright," Clark said. "If you guys are willing to give this a shot, then so am I."

* * *

_Thanks again for reading and I really hope you liked it. In fact if you have ideas or suggests for us (helpful ones please) for future stories let us know in a review. We love to get them, and learn what people like and don't like! Bye for now!_


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